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Apple Shares Rise on Positive Forecast, but China Concerns Persist

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Apple’s stock rose by 2% on Friday, driven by a promising forecast that boosted optimism about a potential iPhone sales rebound. The world’s most valuable company is set to add over $81 billion to its market value of $3.573 trillion if the gains hold. The forecast predicts revenue growth in the low to mid-single digits for the current quarter, suggesting that demand for the iPhone 16 series is picking up despite initial concerns. The iPhone 16, launched without most AI-powered features, has benefited from recent updates, including ChatGPT integration.

Apple’s cautious approach to AI contrasts with the heavy investments made by competitors like Microsoft and Alphabet. However, analysts are reassured by the company’s steady results, particularly as AI spending becomes a focus for big tech companies. Despite these positive developments, Apple faces challenges in its third-largest market, China. The company has yet to secure a local partner for AI features in the region, and rivals like Huawei continue to gain market share. Apple’s sales in China declined by 11% in Q4 2024, but government stimulus measures are expected to mitigate the impact.

At least 12 analysts raised their price targets for Apple, with its stock rising by 30% last year, outpacing Microsoft’s 12% increase. However, Apple’s price-to-earnings ratio stands higher than its competitors, with a forward P/E of 31.12 compared to Microsoft’s 29.2 and Meta’s 26.7.

 

Apple Shares Rise After Positive Sales Outlook Signals iPhone Recovery

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Apple’s executives projected relatively strong sales growth, indicating the company’s recovery from a dip in iPhone sales as it begins to roll out artificial intelligence (AI) features. After a slight decline in iPhone revenue during the holiday shopping quarter, which fell short of Wall Street estimates, Apple has made progress in its AI efforts, and investors are optimistic about the future. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, stated that these AI features will be available to more users in Europe this spring, leading to a 3.14% increase in shares during after-market trading.

Apple has adopted a more measured approach to AI compared to rivals like Microsoft, focusing on integrating AI features into its hardware rather than investing heavily in massive data centers. This strategy paid off when DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, introduced free AI technology that triggered fears of price wars, ultimately benefiting Apple as it helped boost its stock price.

While AI adoption has been slow, Apple saw stronger-than-expected sales in other product categories. The fiscal first quarter of 2024 showed a boost in sales for iPads and Macs, where new chips encouraged customers to upgrade. Apple’s fiscal second-quarter outlook remains positive, with expected sales growth in the low-to-mid single-digit range.

In the most recent quarter, iPhone sales slightly dropped to $69.14 billion, missing analysts’ expectations of $71.03 billion. Sales in Greater China also decreased, bringing in $18.51 billion, below the expected $21.33 billion. However, Apple’s total sales of $124.30 billion exceeded Wall Street’s expectations of $124.12 billion, with earnings per share of $2.40 surpassing the consensus target of $2.35.

Apple has positioned AI as a set of new features, such as drafting emails and transcribing phone calls, but is gradually rolling them out. Tim Cook stated that markets where Apple Intelligence has been launched have seen stronger iPhone 16 family sales compared to those without it. While the AI features are expected to roll out in French and German in April, there is no timeline for availability in China due to regulatory concerns.

Mac sales benefitted from new models, including Mac Minis, iMacs, and MacBook Pros with the new M4 chip. The availability of Apple Intelligence on Macs and iPads, which have more powerful chips, has been a driving factor for upgrades. Apple’s services business, including iCloud, streaming, and other services, saw a 13.9% year-over-year increase, reaching $26.34 billion.

Despite criticism over the slow rollout of AI features, Apple’s services growth and ecosystem expansion are helping offset iPhone struggles, particularly in China. The wearables segment, including the Apple Watch and AirPods, posted $11.75 billion in sales, slightly below analysts’ expectations of $12.01 billion.

 

Truecaller Introduces Real-Time Caller ID and Spam Call Blocking for iPhone Users

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Truecaller has long been a popular call identification and spam-blocking app on Android devices, but iPhone users were left with a more limited experience due to Apple’s strict privacy policies. However, that is set to change. On Wednesday, the company announced the introduction of API support for iPhones, enabling the rollout of features such as real-time caller identification and automatic spam call blocking. This marks a significant improvement for the iOS version of the app, bringing it closer to the feature set already available on Android devices.

With this update, Truecaller’s app for iPhone now leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to provide users with a more seamless experience. By integrating with Apple’s Live Caller ID Lookup framework introduced in iOS 18, Truecaller can now identify incoming calls in real time. This allows users to see the name of the caller before they answer, helping to filter out unknown or spam calls with greater efficiency. The update will provide more convenience and security, making it easier to avoid unwanted interruptions.

Truecaller emphasizes its commitment to user privacy, noting that the integration of this framework uses homomorphic encryption. This advanced encryption method protects user data by hiding personal identifiers like the IP address and phone number during the lookup process. According to the company, this encryption ensures that the app can perform its functions without compromising the privacy of its users, offering a balance between functionality and data security.

Along with real-time caller identification, the update also brings automatic spam call blocking to iPhones. Users will no longer need to manually filter out unwanted calls, as the app now automatically blocks known spam numbers in real time. With these new capabilities, iPhone users will experience the same level of protection and convenience as their Android counterparts, making Truecaller an even more essential tool for managing phone calls and avoiding fraud