*By Chloe Aiello*
Apple lost its hold on the $1 trillion market cap mark after the company's latest earnings report.
Shares tumbled more than 7 percent after the bell on Thursday, despite the company beating analyst estimates for both earnings and revenue. Apple ($AAPL) reported disappointing iPhone sales and weak guidance for the all-important holiday quarter.
While analysts, on average, were expecting sales of about $93 billion to round out the year, Apple said it would only meet those expectations under the best of circumstances. It forecast a range of $89 billion to $93 billion. CEO Tim Cook said weakness in emerging markets, unfavorable foreign exchange rates, and questions about whether the company can meet demand for iPhones all factored into that guidance.
For the current quarter Apple reported earnings of $2.91 per share on revenue of $62.9 billion, beating analyst estimates of earnings per share of $2.78 on $61.57 billion in revenue.
The company also posted just a slight bump in the ever-important metric of iPhone sales, selling just under 47 million units. But thanks to the more expensive, newer versions, the average selling price rose to $793, well above analyst estimates of $750.78.
Faced with stagnating iPhone sales and lengthening product replacement cycles, Apple has gambled that it can successfully boost margins by raising prices on premium products without alienating its loyal customer base. In September, [the company introduced three new iPhones](https://cheddar.com/videos/apples-services-business-the-key-to-its-continued-success) ー two of them priced at or above the original iPhone X, which dropped jaws with its $1,000 price tag when it debuted last year.
Another metric analysts are watching closely: Apple's services revenue. The business, which includes Apple Music and iCloud, has become increasingly important as momentum from its core hardware products like the iPhone and Mac slow. The unit brought in revenue of $9.98 billion in the latest quarter ー up 17 percent from last year but just below Street expectations.
Then there's its "other products" division, which includes wearables, like the Apple Watch and AirPods. Apple reported that business raked in $4.2 billion in revenue, a 31 percent increase from a year ago.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
At the core of the ongoing government shutdown is a fight over the decision to end subsidies that let some 12 million Americans get health coverage.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
