Apple Spending Big Next Year on Retail and Cloud

Erica Ogg:

Apple is doubling down on its retail and cloud operations. The company says it will spend about $8 billion in capital expenditures in 2012, which is almost twice as much as the $3.4 billion it spent during fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30. Apple doesn’t willingly telegraph its plans, but thanks to its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we get a peek into where the company plans to invest its money next year.

That’s a big jump, and that’s interesting. But, if you really want your mind blown, read Horace Dediu’s take on these expenditures, and how they correlate strongly to iOS unit sales. Apple is implicitly forecasting another year of 100 percent iOS unit sales growth in 2012.

★ Monday, 31 October 2011