Apple is due to release earnings today, and analysts will be watching closely, even though they expect the results from this quarter to be pretty boring.
The tech giant is expected to report US$44.9 billion in revenue over the past three months. But what analysts and Apple fans really want to know is any information about what's coming this fall, when Apple is expected to release its next models of the iPhone. That includes a rumored 10th-anniversary edition of the iconic smartphone - an "iPhone 8" or "iPhone X" - with an all-new design and a price tag that could top $1,000.
Reports based on leaks from Apple's supply chain indicate that the high-end phone will have an edge-to-edge, super-sharp OLED screen and may have a fingerprint reader embedded in the glass. Other models may keep Apple's current LCD screen. A recent leak that originated from Apple itself (through its documentation for its upcoming HomePod speaker) indicates that its next phones may also have wireless-charging, fast-charging and facial-recognition capabilities.
But a completely redesigned model of the iPhone may come with a downside: delays. OLED screens, in particular, are difficult to manufacture. Some worry Apple will be unable to keep up with demand for the phone.
Analysts will be looking closely at Apple's projections for the next quarter to try to determine how the company is thinking about its short-term future. Lower guidance for revenue in the fourth quarter - below US$49b - could mean Apple will delay all of its models or cut the prices of the LCD phones, UBS analysts Steve Milunovich and Benjamin Wilson said in an investor's note ahead of the report.