Apple CEO Tim Cook 'Optimistic' About iPhone 12 Sales, Early Data 'Quite Good' - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple CEO Tim Cook 'Optimistic' About iPhone 12 Sales, Early Data 'Quite Good'

Apple's iPhone 12 lineup launched too late to be included in the Q4 earnings results being shared today, but Apple CEO Tim Cook today said in an interview with CNBC that he's "optimistic" about Apple's iPhone 12 sales because of 5G support, carrier promotions, and a loyal install base.

iphone 12 colors lineup
According to Cook, initial data points on iPhone 12 sales are "really quite good." During the earnings call, Cook went on to say that the iPhone 12 lineup is the strongest lineup that Apple has hard by far. 5G also represents a once in a decade opportunity due to the excitement around 5G technologies. "We're off to a great start," said Cook.

iPhone 12 sales will be included in Apple's Q1 2021 earnings results rather than this quarter, but Apple declined to provide guidance for Q1 2021. Cook says that Apple again declined to offer guidance due to the ongoing global health crisis leading to a "sufficient level of uncertainty" that's "not an environment to guide into."

Sales in China were down for the year, and were a weak point for Apple. Sales dropped to $7.95 billion, down from $11.13 billion in fiscal 2019. Cook said he's confident that will turn around next quarter.

A larger percentage of China revenue is made up of new iPhones. And so that's the reason the number for the total quarter started with a minus sign. But given what we see in the early going with the new iPhones, we're confident we'll grow in Q1."

Apple today reported record Q4 2020 results with $12.7 billion profit on $64.7 billion revenue, with services revenue hitting a new all time high.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Cash Feature Yellow

Apple to Report Q4 2026 Earnings on November 2

Tuesday October 6, 2026 2:43 pm PDT by
Apple plans to announce its earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2026 on Monday, November 2, according to the company's updated Investor Relations page. The earnings report will be available at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time on November 2, with new Apple CEO John Ternus and CFO Kevan Parekh to discuss the results during a 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time phone call. Apple will stream the call on its...
M5 MacBook Pro

RIP, MacBook Ultra

Monday October 19, 2026 9:37 am PDT by
Apple today sent out invites for an experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, and the "Pro and tell" tagline on the invitation likely means that the rumored MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays will stick with MacBook Pro branding instead of the once-rumored "MacBook Ultra" name. The long-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up being named iPhone Duo, so speculation that Apple...
iPhone Duo Trio

Here's What Apple's Apps Look Like on the iPhone Duo

Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:12 am PDT by
With just three days to go until the iPhone Duo is released, Apple is getting ready for the launch. Behind the scenes, the App Store now has screenshots of Apple's built-in apps running on the Duo. We've seen some apps in marketing materials, but images of the ones we haven't seen give us an idea of what it will be like using the iPhone Duo day to day. Many apps are shown in landscape...

Top Rated Comments

78 months ago
Boosted sales of 20w usb c adapters too.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
twocents Avatar
78 months ago
Wait till full 12 lineup is available. Mini and Max will hands down win over respective target audiences. great stuff
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
78 months ago

It's better to be humble and give a positive surprise than the other way around.
Better to overdeliver and undersell than the other way around, what you are suggesting.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuddyTronic Avatar
78 months ago

What happened to the unequivocal "super cycle" that analysts were forecasting? This seems like a rather lukewarm public statement from Tim.
Apple hasn't really been big on the "super cycle" talk - that's all. iPhone 6 was a real super cycle year though and the super cycle this year is real too. Late iPhone launch makes it tough to compare quarters year over year though. Apple did mention that they are 4 weeks delayed (iPhone 12 and 12 pro) and 7 weeks delayed (for iPhone 12 pro max and mini). Nevertheless, the next quarter is the big one. China is going to be buying up a lot of iPhone 12 Pro Max units. The iPhone line up has something for everybody.

The fiscal Q4 Apple just reported ended Sept 30th - that's BEFORE the new iPhone's were being sold. So there is no sales data of new model 12 iPhones in today's quarterly report - perhaps you did not realize that. So the talk of "Super Cycle" is coming in the Christmas quarter (Apple fiscal Q1). And even that quarter will present difficulties for year over year comparison, because of the delay. Get it?

Every year people make remarks that doubt they can sell iPhones, but every year has been a record revenue breaker. The iPhone super cycle this time will become apparent in several months time like the end of April!. You'll know it's happening though.

Quarterly YOY comparisons are becoming difficult. It used to be that one quarter had 2 more days in it than the other and that was enough to make a billion dollar difference in YOY (Year over year) comparisons. Now with the covid delay on the new iPhone's, it's going to take some thought to consider the truth. Analysts probably won't take that into account properly - when do the analysts ever get it right?

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
78 months ago
iPhone 12 is and will sell like hot cakes.

Don’t be fooled by quarter over quarter compares that have product release timing differences. iPhone 12 wasn’t baked in at all in this quarter’s results.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
78 months ago

Better to overdeliver and undersell than the other way around, what you are suggesting.
Yep, I thought that's what I said, but perhaps I underdelivered.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
5 hours ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
6 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
7 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
7 hours ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
8 hours ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
10 hours ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
10 hours ago
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
11 hours ago
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
11 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
12 hours ago
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
13 hours ago
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
14 hours ago
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
14 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
15 hours ago
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
16 hours ago
Loop Capital Cuts Apple Rating Over iPhone Sales Outlook
Loop Capital Cuts Apple Rating Over iPhone Sales Outlook
20 hours ago
Apple Stores in Bordeaux and Lille Looted During French Protests
Apple Stores in Bordeaux and Lille Looted During French Protests
20 hours ago
Bluesound Adds Native Apple Music Support
Bluesound Adds Native Apple Music Support
20 hours ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Explains What Makes Good Product Design
Apple CEO John Ternus Explains What Makes Good Product Design
21 hours ago
UK Proposes New Ways to Help Apple Pay Rivals
UK Proposes New Ways to Help Apple Pay Rivals
23 hours ago
WhatsApp Developing In-App Browser for All Chat Links on iPhone
WhatsApp Developing In-App Browser for All Chat Links on iPhone
1 day ago
Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games
Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games
1 day ago
Apple Could Owe Even More After $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict
Apple Could Owe Even More After $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict
1 day ago
Skyrim Comes to Apple Silicon Macs With New Unofficial Installer
Skyrim Comes to Apple Silicon Macs With New Unofficial Installer
1 day ago
Apple Highlights Mac and iPad Use in Paris Design Exhibition
Apple Highlights Mac and iPad Use in Paris Design Exhibition
1 day ago
Apple Seeks 6G Modem Engineers as It Plans for Post-5G iPhones
Apple Seeks 6G Modem Engineers as It Plans for Post-5G iPhones
1 day ago
First iPhone Duo Unboxing Video Appears Ahead of Friday Launch
First iPhone Duo Unboxing Video Appears Ahead of Friday Launch
1 day ago
Perplexity Computer Can Now Run Fully Locally on Mac
Perplexity Computer Can Now Run Fully Locally on Mac
1 day ago
Apple's Touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro: Everything We Know
Apple's Touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro: Everything We Know
1 day ago