This is the script of CNBC's news report for China's CCTV on April 24, Wednesday.
Welcome to CNBC Business Daily.
The Apple juggernaut is showing signs of deceleration. CEO Tim Cook, in a rare admission, said that the iPad maker's growth has slowed and margins have decreased.
For the second quarter, profits fell to $9.5 billion from $11 billion a year ago. It's first profit decline in a decade. Meantime, revenue jumped 11% 43.6 billion.
For the current quarter Apple is forecasting revenue of between $33.5 billion and $35.5 billion, falling short of Wall Street forecasts.
[Sound on tape by Bert Dohmen, President & Founder, Dohmen Capital Research Institute: Apple's profit margins are getting squeezed. When Steve Jobs was there the profit margin was about 71 percent. Right now the margin is around 38 percent, so the margins are getting squeezed in spite of their very high prices. Apple products, for similar products that Samsung and others have are about double. They're going to have to come down with prices if they don't want to lose total market share, so I'm still a bear.]
News that the tech giant was expanding its share buyback program more than initially planned, lifted its stock briefly in extended trade. Apple now says that it will return two-thirds of its $145 billion cash pile to shareholders.
[Sound on tape by David Garrity, Principal, Gva Research: The greater risk right now for investors is not to be in Apple's stock given that management has shown that they are sensitive to creating shareholder value and they are returning capital to shareholders.]
Some investors were also disappointed that Apple's planned product launches were only likely to take place in fall.
[Sound on tape by Andrew Tonner, Tech & Telecom Analyst, Motley Fool: We've seen the CEO and management team basically do everything, but tell you that new revenue streams are around the corner of course the markets being impatient with this, they would like to have their cake and eat it too.]
But could Tim Cook really come up with something revolutionary in the months ahead? Our next guest says maybe not. Have a listen.
[Sound on tape by Adam Hewison, Chief Strategist at INO.com: Tim Cook is in way over his head, he's a perfect guy for supply logistics but he's not a visionary like Steve was and also there's an untold story with Apple, that no one really points to. Apple has a fantastic designer called Jony Ive, who really created the iPod, iTouch, the iPad, everything that Apple's done has been very successful. I don't think that they have anything in the pipeline right now.]
Li Sixuan, from CNBC's Asia headquarters.