The benefits and prospects of Apple are the most expected, which increases the stock

In a quarter where iPhone device sales have somewhat diminished the importance to investors, Apple has exceeded expectations and then delivered an optimistic view of what is to come.

The company announced Tuesday better than expected results for its third fiscal quarter, posting earnings per share of $ 2.34 for a $ 53.3 billion business figure. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had projected $ 2.16 EPS and $ 52.3 billion in revenue.

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Apple

AAPL, + 0.20%

sold 41.3 million iPhone units during the quarter and generated $ 29.9 billion in revenue from the category. Analysts expected 42 million units sold and segment revenues of $ 29.1 billion.

The company had an average selling price of $ 724 for its iPhones in the June quarter, which was significantly higher than the $ 693 expected by analysts. Apple's IPA, higher than expected, explains why Apple has managed to beat global and iPhone-specific revenue expectations despite selling fewer units than analysts do planned it.

The spring quarter generally brings the lowest average selling prices of the year, although Apple has seen a significant increase of $ 606 that it reported in the previous quarter of June .

Probably the most useful number in Apple's third quarter fiscal report was its September forecast of between $ 60 and $ 62 billion. This exceeded the FactSet consensus for revenue of $ 59.5 billion.

Not to be missed: here's what Apple could do streaming

The Services business figure has become an increasingly important part of the business. Apple's business because it shows how Apple can monetize its installed base of users under a longer upgrade cycle. Apple said service revenues of $ 9.5 billion for the last period, compared with $ 7.3 billion in the same quarter of the previous year. Analysts forecast $ 9.2 billion.

Another region closely watched by Apple is China, where the company has experienced a recent rebound. This trend has continued over the most recent period. Apple generated $ 9.6 billion in sales from Greater China, up from $ 8 billion in the previous quarter.

Apple's stock has gained 28% in the last 12 months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average

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of which Apple is a component, grew by 16%.