Apple expects revenue to 'accelerate' following strong quarterly results
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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook on Thursday did what he could to give Wall Street and the average investor some confidence that the iconic tech giant will be able to grow its sales even during a time of uncertainty for the U.S. economy.
Speaking on a conference call, Cook said that during its fiscal third quarter, which ended in June, Apple (AAPL) saw "supply constraints [that were] less than anticipated" than at the start of the quarter. That helped investors breathe a little easier, as Apple's (AAPL) shares rose 3.5% in after-hours trading.
Cook spoke about Apple's (AAPL) business while also discussing the company's fiscal third-quarter results that came out after the close of Thursday's trading session. While neither Cook nor Apple (AAPL) Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri gave exact earnings or revenue forecasts for what is the company's fiscal fourth quarter, Maestri said revenue is expected to "accelerate" on a year-over-year basis. Maestri also said Apple (AAPL) expects its gross profit margins for the quarter to be between 41.5% and 42.5%.
Wall Street analysts had previously forecast Apple (AAPL) to earn $1.31 a share, on $90B for the quarter that ends in September.
Despite not giving specific earnings or sales estimates, Cook said Apple (AAPL) remains in strong position to improve its already massive market presence in the months ahead.
Cook highlighted the 15th anniversary of the iPhone, which set a June-quarter record with sales of $40.65B, up by 3% from a year ago. The gains came in advance of the company's historical launch of a new model of the iPhone, which is typically announced in September or early October.
Cook said Apple's (AAPL) results were "a reflection of our resiliency," and that Apple was (AAPL) "clear eyed [regarding] uncertainly in the macro [economic] environment."
For its full fiscal third quarter, Apple (AAPL) earned $1.20 a share, on $82.96B in revenue, while analysts had forecast Apple (AAPL) to earn $1.15 a share, on $82.81B in sales.
Services continued to be Apple's (AAPL) second-biggest business driver, with revenue of $19.6B, up 12% from the year-ago period.
However, sales in Apple's (AAPL) other main business areas declined, likely due in part to what Cook said were ongoing supply issues. 
iPad sales of $7.22B were down 2% from a year ago, while Mac sales declined by 10%, to $7.38B and sales of wearables, home and accessories dipped by 8%, to $8.08B.
Still, Cook remained upbeat about the Mac and iPad, in particular, and said Apple (AAPL) remained "encouraged by [consumer] demand" despite supply constraints in some areas.
Maestri also said Apple (AAPL) had declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 a share that will be payable on August 11 to shareholders of record as of August 8.
Separately, earlier this week, Apple (AAPL) reportedly poached a top executive from Italian luxury carmaker Lamborghini to help lead its electric vehicle operations.