### Apple Reports Beat Revenue in Q4 Amidst Unexpected EU Tax Setback

Apple (AAPL) released its fourth quarter earnings report on Thursday, revealing key financial metrics and providing insights into the performance of its product lines. The tech giant disclosed an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.97 on a revenue of $94.9 billion for the quarter. A significant one-time charge impacted the earnings, stemming from the obligation to pay 13 billion euros to Ireland following a European General Court decision.

Excluding this charge, Apple's adjusted EPS would have reached $1.64, surpassing Wall Street expectations of $1.59 per share and revenue predictions of $94.3 billion. In comparison, the company reported an EPS of $1.46 on a revenue of $89.4 billion during the same period last year. After the announcement, Apple’s shares saw a 2% dip.

Analyzing the sales performance, iPhone revenue significantly surpassed projections, reaching $46.2 billion against the expected $45 billion. The company's Services segment generated $24.9 billion, slightly below the forecasted $25.2 billion. Meanwhile, iPad revenue matched expectations quite closely at $6.9 billion, and Wearables revenue stood at $9 billion, just short of the $9.1 billion projection.

In regional performance, Greater China revenue was $15 billion, falling short of Wall Street's target of $15.8 billion. This market remains critical for Apple amidst stiff competition from local companies such as Xiaomi and Huawei.

Apple's new initiative, Apple Intelligence, currently available only in US English, marks a significant shift in its sales strategy. The company plans to expand localized English support by December and introduce additional languages by April. According to Apple CFO Luca Maestri, the introduction of this platform could influence a different sales cycle, focusing on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and future models.

In its initial phase, Apple Intelligence offers features like notification summaries, with more robust capabilities such as ChatGPT integration and Apple's Visual Intelligence expected in future updates. These advancements are anticipated to boost interest and drive an upswing in sales for Apple's newer devices.