Apple witnessed a stock rally in 2023 but fell behind its mega-cap tech peers due to a prolonged revenue dip, the longest since the dot-com era.
As reported by CNBC News, Apple faced declining revenue for four consecutive quarters, a challenging period exacerbated by a sluggish market for phones and computers.
Most importantly, global smartphone sales were at their slowest in over a decade during the summer.
Company-specific issues compounded Apple’s woes. No new iPad models launched in 2023, a departure from the product’s yearly releases since 2010. Consequently, limited promotional material led to diminished sales for older iPad versions.
Troubling signs persisted, as current model iPads shipped within a day from Apple’s website, indicating weak demand, as noted by Morgan Stanley analysts.
Revenue from Apple’s iPads dipped by 3.4%, totaling $28.3 billion, with unit sales plummeting 15% in fiscal 2023, per Bank of America’s estimates.
More recently, a patents dispute led to the temporary removal of new Apple Watch models from U.S. stores, resulting in an estimated daily sales loss of $135 million.
Even new products like Mac computers faced subdued consumer interest due to minor upgrades, with Mac PC and laptop sales dropping nearly 27% to $10.2 billion, according to Bank of America.
Despite a 49% increase in Apple’s stock, rival tech companies like Nvidia, Meta, Tesla, Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft outperformed, registering significant stock gains.
To revitalize revenue growth and sustain its $3 trillion market cap, Apple is banking on new product releases and a global rebound in smartphone and laptop demand.
Anticipated revenue from Vision Pro is estimated around $1.4 billion if 400,000 headsets are shipped, though some analysts consider this sum relatively insignificant.
Apple also seeks to ease tensions with China, where a decline in iPhone demand has been reported due to geopolitical concerns.
