Apple’s iPhone Is Alive and Well—And Will Set New Records

Over the last several weeks, reports have suggested that sales of Apple’s four-month old top-of-the-line iPhone X are sluggish. But not everything may be what it seems.

In the past several days, additional reports have said Apple’s iPhone division isn’t in as much trouble as previously suggested. And one analyst believes that Apple will get the benefit of massive uptick in customers upgrading their older iPhones, leading the company to set new sales records in the coming quarters and ultimately to become the world’s first company to achieve a $1 trillion market value.

But Apple’s week was about more than the iPhone. Angry customers boycotted the company’s hardware and software on Thursday over a National Rifle Association (NRA) video channel and for the first time, and the iPhone maker confirmed it’s relying on Google for one of its key services.

1. Customers may upgrade 350 million iPhones to newer Apple phones within the next 12 to 18 months, GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives told investors this week. He added that Apple iPhone revenue will hit new highs within that period and that Apple shares will continue to soar, inching the company closer to a $1 trillion market cap mark—a milestone he expects Apple to reach before Amazon.
2. Apple has acknowledged that its iCloud service relies on Google Cloud Platform. In an iOS Security Guide this week, Apple said that some iCloud user data, including events and contact information, is stored on Google’s rival cloud service. Apple, however, said that all of its data is encrypted and that Google cannot see raw information about any of its users. Apple previously cited Microsoft’s Azure cloud service as one of its storage partners.
3. Famed investor Warren Buffett told CNBC this week that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, has acquired more shares of Apple than any other business in the last year. He said that Apple’s “ecosystem” of hardware and software makes it an attractive buy and something that only solidifies the company’s success. He added, however, that he doesn’t anticipate ever buying an iPhone. Instead, he plans on sticking with his trusty flip phone.
4. Protestors on Thursday called on customers to boycott Apple products after the company didn’t give in to their demands to eliminate a streaming-video channel called NRA TV that focuses on guns from its online services. Protestors said that Apple should sever all ties with the NRA and called on others to avoid buying Apple products on Thursday. For the record, Amazon weathered a similar boycott on the same day.
5. Apple shipped 8 million Apple Watches during the fourth quarter, according to market researcher IDC. That was up from 5.1 million in the same quarter a year earlier, according to the report. No other wearable maker was even close to Apple’s market share. All other device makers combined to ship 29.9 million wearables during the period.
6. The new Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with the best smartphone screen ever released, according to screen-analysis site DisplayMate. The company put Samsung’s screen through the paces and awarded it its “highest ever A+ grade.” The tester said the Galaxy S9 screen’s color accuracy is “visually indistinguishable from perfect” and brighter than any other smartphone display. Apple’s iPhone X previously held the crown for the smartphone market’s best screen.

One more thing…Apple will ship three new iPhones this year, according to a Bloomberg report. All three will come with designs similar to last year’s iPhone X, complete with a screen that nearly covers their faces.