Futurum’s Dave Nicholson previews Apple (AAPL) earnings, expecting the company to meet a high bar but warning that guidance could be more challenging. He focuses on rising memory costs, pressure on margins and device pricing, Apple’s position in the China supply chain and reports that it has explored CXMT as a lower-cost memory source. He says higher memory costs could become a bigger challenge through 2027, making the holiday-quarter outlook and margin guidance especially important.