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Martin wades into abortion debateAs the Dáil committee hearings continue on the abortion bill, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has waded into the debate saying it is important that Christian believers "be, and seen to be, on the side of life, especially when life is most vulnerable".
Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfallLimits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.
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Anger as North Korea launches another missileNorth Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast, a day after launching three more of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said.
How Star Trek predicted the futureWHEN Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry first dreamed up the concept of a television show based in the unexplored universe of Outer Space in 1964, the world was a very different place.
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Warnings over future of eurozoneThe eurozone is heading towards a break up unless there are moves towards much closer political and fiscal union, according to chief economist with State Street Global Advisers, Chris Probyn.
Bruton defends corporate tax rateIreland will be able to maintain its current corporation tax code in the face of international pressure to prevent multinational corporations avoid paying their fare share of tax, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton said yesterday.
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Mayo’s statement of intentGalway 0-11 Mayo 4-16 Five minutes to go in Salthill yesterday and James Horan was still cajoling his men to sew it into Galway.
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Today's stories
Apple revenue figures disappoint investors
Revenue for the fiscal quarter from October 1 to December 31 last year – came in at a record $54.5bn (€40.9bn) but fell short of the $55bn (€41.3bn) forecast by Wall Street.
Earnings of $13.1bn (€9.8bn) remained flat compared to the year before, marking the first time tech giant had not boasted double-digit increases in earnings for years.
It came as Apple has become increasingly beleaguered amid speculation that demand for its flagship iPhone handset is shrinking in the face of stiff competition.
Announced after the closing bell went at the Nasdaq blue-chip stock market, the numbers showed that Apple had shifted 47.8 million iPhones throughout the quarter. Analysts had predicted the company would sell one million more of the handsets.
Apple shares fell 3% to $517 in extended trading after the release of the report.
The company’s share price last week slipped below $500 for the first time in 11 months as investors reacted to reports that smartphones running Google’s Android software have overtaken the iPhone 5.
Meanwhile, rival electronics firm Samsung recently reported that global sales of its Galaxy S smartphone series had passed 100 million since the first model was launched less than three years ago.
It reached the milestone faster than its competitor – it took about four years for Apple to sell more than 100 million iPhones.
The figures showed a record 22.9 million iPads were sold during the quarter and total sales of 75 million devices using Apple’s iOS operating system.
But only 4.1 million Mac laptop and desktop computers were snapped up compared to 5.2 million in the same period a year ago, while Apple shifted 12.7 million iPod portable media players this year in contrast to 15.4 million during last year’s first quarter.
Despite the 18% rise in revenue, the market’s negative reaction to the figures continued to pile pressure on Apple chief executive Tim Cook, who took over after visionary co-founder Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in October 2011.
Mr Cook remained upbeat, saying in a statement: “We are thrilled with record revenue of over $54bn (€40.5bn) and sales of over 75 million iOS devices in a single quarter.
“We are very confident in our product pipeline as we continue to focus on innovation and making the best products in the world.”
Providing its forecast for the next quarter, Apple said it expected revenue to be between $41bn (€30.78bn) and $43bn (€32.2bn).