SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple has emerged from a recent decline in iPhone sales during its summer quarter, an early sign that its recent efforts to revive demand for its flagship product through an infusion of artificial intelligence are bearing fruit.

iPhone sales totaled $46.22 billion for the July-September period, an increase of 6% from the same period last year, according to Apple’s fourth-quarter financial report released THURSDAY. This improvement reversed two consecutive years year-on-year decline in quarterly iPhone sales.

The iPhone boost helped Apple generate total quarterly revenue and profit that beat the projections of analysts who influence investors, excluding a one-time $10.2 billion charge. dollars to take into account. a recent decision by a European Union court that left the Cupertino, Calif., company with a huge back-tax bill.

Apple earned $14.74 billion, or 97 cents per share, down 36% from the same period last year. Without the one-time tax, Apple said it would have earned $1.64 per share, beating the $1.60 per share predicted by analysts, according to FactSet Research. Revenue rose 6% from last year to $94.93 billion, about $400 million more than analysts expected.

But investors were obviously hoping for an even better quarter. Apple’s stock price fell slightly in extended trading after the numbers were released.

The results captured the first few days in which consumers were able to purchase a new iPhone 16 range which included four different models designed to handle a variety of AI magic that the company markets as “Apple Intelligence.” This branding is part of Apple’s efforts to distinguish its approach to AI from competitors such as Samsung And Google it took a head start in bringing the technology to smartphones.

Even though the iPhone 16 was specifically designed for AI, the technology didn’t become available until after Apple’s release. a free software update earlier this week which has activated its first set of tech tricks, including a feature designed to make its virtual assistant Siri smarter, more versatile and more colorful. And these improvements are only available in the United States for now.

“This is just the beginning of what we think generative AI can do,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts on a conference call Thursday.

Cook said he plans to expand the iPhone’s AI features to more countries in December, as well as rolling out other software updates that will inject even more technology into the iPhone 16 and two High-end iPhone 15 models also come equipped with the special computer chips needed for the nifty new features. The December expansion will include an option to connect to OpenAI’s ChatGPT to take advantage of technology that Apple doesn’t make itself.

Investors are betting that as Apple’s AI becomes more widely available, it will prompt the hundreds of millions of consumers who use older iPhones to upgrade to newer models in order to get their hands on the latest technology.

Although iPhone sales have rebounded, another key part of Apple’s operations – its services division – has not performed as analysts expected, amid regulatory efforts in Europe and the United States. -United to force the company to allow more payment options in its app store. The crackdown threatens to undermine a lucrative fee system that allows Apple to exclusively collect a 15% to 30% commission on most digital commerce transactions made in iPhone apps.

Revenue at Apple’s services division climbed 12% from last year to nearly $25 billion, but that figure was about $200 million below analysts’ forecasts.

Apple’s revenue also fell slightly from last year in China, where the company faces tougher competition in the smartphone market.