Apple iPhone 8 launch clues in focus in earnings report

Investing.com - Any clues on the launch date of Apple's new iPhone 8 model will be in focus when the U.S. tech giant reports June fiscal quarter earnings.(NASDAQ:Apple) is due to report June quarter earnings on Tuesday after the market closes, with consensus forecast of earnings per share standing at $1.57 on revenues of $44.89 billion.In its prior quarter report, Apple gave guidance of June quarter revenues of between $43.5 billion and $45.5 billion and forecast a gross margin of between 37.5% and 38.5%.The rumor mill has it that the launch data will be around mid-September. The new smartphone model is also rumored to have a larger 5.8-inch display.Investors will also be looking to the impact of competition from (Samsung Electronics:005930) and advances made by (Huawei:002502) and other Chinese manufacturers on global smartphone sales.According to data from research firm Gartner, Samsung's smartphone shipments fell to 78.7 million units in the first quarter of the year from 81.2 million in the same period a year earlier as its market share shrank to 20.7%.Apple's shipments rose to 52 million shares from 51.6 million, but its market share fell to 13.7% from 14.8% in part due to expansion in the global market.Apple over the weekend removed virtual private network apps from its stores in China in response to a crackdown by the Chinese authorities. Apple's sales in China, which is its second biggest market have been declining.