Sky News·2025-10-31 04:07Core Insights - Tech giants Apple and Amazon have reported better-than-expected financial results, defying industry predictions [1] Company Performance - Apple's record revenue is attributed to strong iPhone sales, with total sales reaching $49 billion (£36.1 billion) during the July-September period, a 6% increase from the previous year [5][6] - Apple sold nearly 59 million iPhones globally in the same quarter, ranking second behind Samsung [5] - Amazon's financial success is driven by its cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS), which saw revenue growth of 20.2% to $33 billion (almost £25 billion) [1][2] - AWS accounts for 60% of Amazon's total operating income [1] Financial Metrics - Apple reported earnings of $27.5 billion (£21.4 billion), or $1.85 per share (£1.44), nearly doubling its profit from a year ago [6] - Apple's overall revenue climbed 8% year-over-year to $102.5 billion (£80 billion) [6] Market Challenges - Both companies face challenges from tariffs imposed by Donald Trump, which have cost Apple $1.1 billion (£824 million) in the past quarter and are expected to cost another $1.4 billion (just over £1 billion) in the final quarter of the year [4][7] - Amazon has issued a cautious sales outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter, citing ongoing tariff impacts as a potential revenue obstacle [7] Industry Trends - The tech industry is increasingly integrating AI into operations to reduce costs and enhance productivity, despite significant job losses in US tech firms this year [8] - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that the current AI boom is not a speculative bubble, as today's AI leaders are generating earnings [8]