Apple Inc. (AAPL) just beat Wall Street's expectations for the third quarter and gave investors something to be confident about in the coming months.
After Tuesday's closing bell, the tech titan beat on its top and bottom line, in addition to selling more iPhones than expected. More importantly, perhaps, it gave upbeat fourth-quarter sales guidance, indicating that the release of its upcoming 10th anniversary iPhone model will be right on pace with its traditional September launch.
Shares of Apple rose 6.1% in after-hours trading on Tuesday, hitting fresh highs of $159 a piece. They were up 7.1% to $159.25 on Wednesday morning.
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Apple held a call with investors after the announcement, where it provided some color on the quarterly results. Here's five of the biggest takeaways from the call:
1. No hints on what the next iPhone will look like
One brave analyst ventured to ask about the wave of speculation about the 10th anniversary iPhone, noting there's been "a large amount of discussion in blogs" that the next model would be delayed. Experts said supply chain shortages would push back the release, as the iPhone 8 is expected to be packed with a number of high-end features, including a new bezel-less design, organic LED display and augmented reality features, among other things. Apple's latest guidance seems to suggest that things are running on schedule, however.
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