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Apple (AAPL) Q4 Earnings to Benefit from Wearables & HomePod

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Apple’s (AAPL - Free Report) wearables business, which includes Apple Watch, Beats and AirPods, is expected to command the limelight in the fourth quarter fiscal 2018.

Notably, total revenues from wearables surged more than 60% year over year in the last reported quarter. Apple Watch grew 38.4% year over year and the company shipped 4.7 million units.

The wearables business is a part of Apple’s Other Products group that also includes Apple TV, HomePod, iPod Touch and Apple-branded and third-party accessories. Other products accounted for 7% of Apple’s revenues in the quarter.

Click here to know how Apple’s overall fourth-quarter performance is likely to be.

Apple Dominates Wearables Market

Apple is a dominant name in the wearables market. Per IDC’s second-quarter data, the company has beaten the likes of Xiaomi, Fitbit and Garmin (GRMN - Free Report) to maintain its lead in this rapidly growing market.
 

 

Apple’s market share of 17%, up 400 basis points (bps) on a year-over-year basis, was much better than Xiaomi’s 15.1%, Fitbit’s 9.5% and Garmin’s 5.3%. The continuing momentum is expected to boost the company’s top-line growth in the to-be-reported quarter.

Moreover, the availability of Apple Watch 4 is further expected to increase Apple’s market share. The latest device has larger curved-edge screens. The device has new health sensors and apps such as electrocardiograms (ECG), which received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance.

Apple Gaining Traction in Smart Speaker Space

Apple entered smart speaker market in early 2018 with its HomePod. Despite being a late entrant, the company is gaining momentum rapidly in the smart speaker market due to brand loyalty and expanding global footprint.

Further, superior music quality in HomePod gives it an edge over other speakers in the market. Additionally, the company is working on integrating the next generation of HomePod with Face ID technology, with the help of which the speaker will be able to scan the person nearby and automatically set up music, thermostat and more, per user preference.

Zacks Rank & a Key Pick

Apple currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

HubSpot (HUBS - Free Report) is a better-ranked stock in the broader Computer & Technology sector as it has a  Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

HubSpot is set to report its quarterly result on Nov 7.

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