Apple set for strongest June-quarter sales growth in 5 years

July 29 : Apple's decision to hold iPhone prices steady is set to power its strongest June-quarter sales growth in five years, but investors will want to know how long it can resist an increase.The consumer electronics giant raised iPad and MacBook prices last month as it sought to offset cost increases from a shortage of memory and storage chips caused by massive AI datacenter buildouts. But the company spared its cash cow, iPhones, even as rival smartphone makers were forced to pass on the higher costs that prompted a decline in global smartphone shipments in the April-June quarter, to the lowest in 13 years.Apple's decision paid off: iPhone shipments rose 3 per cent and the company's market share climbed to nearly a fifth, estimated research firm Counterpoint. This, and the fact that it