Apple’s R&D investments reached $ 2.8 billion in the second fiscal quarter of 2017

Apple's R&D investments reached $ 2.8 billion in the second fiscal quarter of 2017

According to documents sent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Apple spent a total of $ 2.8 billion in research and development (R&D) only in its second fiscal quarter of 2017. This number basically represents 5% of the company’s quarterly net sales.

When comparing these expenses with the same period of the previous year, there was an increase of US $ 266 million. In addition, adding to this year’s first fiscal quarter (that is, a six-month period), Apple’s R&D spending has now reached nearly $ 5.7 billion.

Although the company did not relate these expenses to anything specifically, in the past, CFO Luca Maestri has already revealed that large investments in R&D have a lot to do with the growth of Ma’s product portfolio; in addition, there are also constant hires, among other things.

Although much of the year-over-year growth may be due to the maintenance of existing product lines, many of these billions focus on the development of new products, which gives us a tip of hope to see really new things painting this year, whether in hardware or software.

To name a few examples, in addition to the products we already know and are likely to receive updates (iPhones, Watches, Macs, etc.), several rumors are constantly appearing about Apple’s new initiatives, such as the autonomous car system (or a vehicle itself, in the future), new products or software linked to augmented reality, such a competing device from Amazon Echo and the many health solutions that the company has been experimenting and implementing for a while.

It is also good to remember that there are several R&D centers being built or planned in different locations around the world including Apple Park, as in Japan, a second in China, another in Indonesia, and more. This means that, probably, spending in this area will not stop here; will grow more and more.

(via AppleInsider)