Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter ended December 27, 2025. The company posted quarterly revenue of $143.8 billion, an increase of 16 percent year over year. Diluted earnings per share was $2.84, an increase of 19 percent year over year.
The company’s Services division, which includes Apple Music, achieved an all-time revenue record in the quarter. The segment’s revenue grew 14 percent year-over-year, accelerating from the 11 percent growth reported in the same quarter a year ago.
Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted the role of new creator tools in this growth. “Services revenue reached a new peak, and we see this momentum continuing with powerful new tools for artists,” said Cook. “The recently launched Apple Creator Studio, available on Mac, iPad, and iPhone, is empowering musicians to produce professional-grade music and video content directly from their devices.”
Services Revenue Reached A New Peak, And We See This Momentum Continuing With Powerful New Tools For Artists
Tim Cook, CEO Apple
Cook also announced that Apple’s global installed base of active devices surpassed 2.5 billion units, a key metric for the company’s recurring services business.
Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh detailed the financial impact. “Our record business performance drove $54 billion in operating cash flow this quarter, allowing us to return almost $32 billion to shareholders,” said Parekh. “This performance was fueled by strong growth across our ecosystem.”
The announcement follows recent news from Spotify, which disclosed in January 2026 that it paid out more than $11 billion to the music industry in 2025. The streaming service stated that figure represents the largest annual payment to music creators from any single retailer in history.
