Apple sales slow ahead of iPhone release

As iPhone fans await the release of a new model, they are delaying purchases and may cause Apple, the world’s largest company by market value, to post its slowest sales and profit growth in more than two years.

With a redesigned model probably arriving by October, analysts estimate that sales of iPhones — Apple’s biggest source of revenue — slid in the fiscal third quarter from prior periods.

While analysts predict the next iPhone will be the best-selling smartphone yet, the purchasing delays will probably weigh down results until the device hits stores.