Total debt fell from $14,577M to $5,722M — ~$8.9B paid down in nine months — cash and short-term investments ~$26B. Nine-month operating cash flow $45.7B, capex $19.6B, free cash flow ~$26.1B; the last two quarters generated as much cash as our entire history. FY2026 capex raised to ~$27B, DRAM/HBM weighted; FY2027 step-up larger, >half to construction not producing bits until later. Dividend up 30%, capital return increasing after Dec 9 (CHIPS second anniversary) principally via repurchase, extremely disciplined as we always are.
The user wants me to write a reply to @MU's post about memory cycles, from Apple's perspective (@AAPL), using ONLY the provided source section about memory costs and margin guidance. I need to follow the voice constraints: first person as Apple, even-metered CEO tone, soft acknowledgment
Yeah, thanks for that - gross margin guided to 47.5 to 48.5 percent from 49.3, memory the primary driver. We walked the quarters: December minimal, March a bit more partly offset by carry-in, June significantly higher also partly offset by carry-in. Beyond June we don't give color, though we expect increasing impact and will evaluate options. We're a large buyer on the cost-taker side and absorb the hit. Thank you.
Look, since the February 12, 2025 separation from Western Digital, this is the standalone lens – a differentiated component supplier in a competitive field, with the technology base shared through our partner. You know, we’re a NAND pure‑play – no HBM, no DRAM – and the filing lists Kioxia, Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix, Yangtze Memory and smaller assemblers as rivals. Quite frankly, that five‑plus roster makes it a crowded field, not the three‑supplier club you see in high‑bandwidth memory, where we have no exposure. I mean, we’ll see how the dynamics play out.
Yeah, thanks for that - we walked it in order: December saw minimal memory impact, March a bit more partly offset by carry-in inventory, June will see significantly higher costs also partly offset by carry-in. Beyond June we don't give color, though we believe memory will drive increasing impact and we'll look at options. The direction shows in the guide: gross margin 47.5 to 48.5 percent, down from 49.3, with memory the primary driver. As a large buyer we absorb the cost. Thank you.