Apple and Amazon shine but Alphabet disappoints in Q4 results

Hindered by diversification efforts

Apple and Amazon both reported record quarterly sales in the fourth quarter of 2017 but high costs at Google parent Alphabet meant the group failed to meet analysts' expectations.

In its quarterly results, Apple said it sold fewer phones during the quarter but this was compensated for by the higher prices charged with latest model Apple X retailing at $1,000. The number of models sold during the period fell to 77.3 million, a 1% fall year-on-year. Quarterly sales rose 13% year-on-year to reach a record of $88.3bn with shares rising 3% in after-hours trading. Meanwhile, Alphabet profits disappointed analyst expectations of $7bn coming in at $6.8bn. This was as a result of higher costs related to diversifying the brand, offsetting a big jump in advertising ...