Apple’s Q4 financial results are due in via a conference call today and according to 9to5Mac and Fortune, more than half of the analysts included in Fortune’s survey expect the company to beat its high-end guidance of $37B. The average is driven up by the amateurs, who come in at US$37.38B, while the professionals expect just a touch under the top end at US$36.95B.
Predictions on both revenues and earnings do vary markedly, however. While the consensus view is that year-on-year revenues will be up 3 percent and earnings down 6 percent, even among the professionals the earnings estimates span a 15 percent range.
Apple beating its own guidance wouldn’t have been remarkable in the days when Apple gave absurdly pessimistic guidance and then blew it away, but would be impressive since Cook started offering realistic ranges …
Apple began offering realistic guidance this year, offering a range running from what it has “reasonable confidence” of achieving to what it “believes” it will do. In Q2, Apple slightly beat its high-end guidance of US$41-43B with revenues of US$43.6B, while in Q3 it came in just below its top-end number at US$35.3B.
The official launch of the iPhone in China is the big unknown in the equation, with some big numbers being bandied about, but no hard data.
It’s also likely that supplies of iPhone 5s models will play a large role in the numbers. Demand was extremely strong, but production was struggling to keep pace with the gold model in particular, whose popularity appeared to have taken Apple by surprise.
The earnings will be broadcast at 2 PM PT/5 PM ET via this link.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.