During its earnings call on Monday, Apple disclosed that it raked in $13.1 billion in profit from its 2014 fiscal year first quarter earnings of $57.6 billion. It also posted an all-time quarterly high iPhone sales of 51 million units. However, during the call, chief executive Tim Cook might hinted that the performance of the iPhone 5c might not be as colorful as its casing.
Apple also revealed that it sold 26 million iPads and 4.8 million Macs compared to the same period in 2013 when it sold 22.9 million and 4.1 million, respectively.
"We are really happy with our record iPhone and iPad sales, the strong performance of our Mac products and the continued growth of iTunes, Software and Services. We love having the most satisfied, loyal and engaged customers, and are continuing to invest heavily in our future to make their experiences with our products and services even better," said Tim Cook.
During the Q&A part of the earnings call, Cook was asked why its iPhones are not conquering the market and why the 5s appeals more to consumers compared to its sibling 5c.
"We actually sold more iPhone 5Ses than we projected. The mix was stronger to the 5S. It took us some amount of time to build the mix that customers were demanding and as a result, we lost some sort of units for part of the quarter in North America," Cook explained. "I think the 5S, people are really intrigued with Touch ID," Cook said, referring to the fingerprint scanner. "It's a major feature that has excited people. I think that associated with the other things that are unique to the 5S, got the 5S to have a significant amount more attention and a higher mix of sale."
The Apple CEO did not disclose the company's plan with regard to the 5c, albeit speculations that the colorful version of the smartphone will be scrapped by the manufacturer. Sources of The Wall Street Journal revealed that Apple might discontinue the plastic case used for the 5c when it releases a new iteration of the popular smartphone.
There were also speculations that the 5c is not as successful because of its price tag, though originally it was thought to be a more affordable version of the iPhone, laser-targeted for emerging markets.
Cook pointed out that if the company feels the need to change the sticker price of the iPhones, it will, but it will not disclose during an earnings call.
