Demand for the iPhone and other Apple products drove profits to more than double in the January-March period as the tech giant continued to capitalise on smartphone addiction. Profits came to $23.6 billion, or $1.40 per share, while revenue climbed 54 percent to $89.6 billion in the fiscal second quarter, the company said Wednesday. Analysts polled by FactSet expected 99 cents per share on $77.1 billion in sales. The iPhone, Apple’s crown jewel, hadn’t sold quite as well as usual over the past few years as people held on to their current phones for longer. But the release of four iPhone 12 models last fall has unleashed purchases, and iPhone sales rose 66 percent to $47.9 billion on top of a holiday-season quarter when iPhone sales jumped 17 percent. Some analysts believe the popularity of the iPhone 12 could lead to the device’s biggest sales year since 2014, when the iPhone 6 came out. It was a big hit because Apple enlarged the device’s screen. The iPhone 12 is the first mod...
