Gary Lerude, MWJ Technical Editor

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Last week, Apple reported positive financial and market results for the third fiscal quarter of 2018, results that propelled the company's market capitalization to above $1 trillion — the first U.S. company to reach that ethereal benchmark.

WIN Semiconductors reported strong second quarter and first half year-over-year revenue growth driven by the handset market. However, the company said “inventory corrections” across all markets will cause third quarter revenue to decline around 10 percent compared to the second quarter.

The rollout of 5G in North America buoyed Ericsson’s second quarter financial results, arguably the highlight of a mixed quarter of declining year-over-year sales, improving margins, and greater net income loss.

A good read: “Help! What’s the Secret to Leading Engineers?” by engineer turned management consultant Trevor Manning. This short, readable book presents seven insights about leadership, providing a foundation for the new manager and insight for the most experienced executive.

Remembering my friendship and good times with Richard Mumford, Microwave Journal's international editor, whose life ended too soon, on May 5.

Listen to a conversation with Earl Lum, founder and president of EJL Wireless Research, discussing the ZTE export ban, T-Mobile/Sprint merger and Verizon's 5G fixed wireless access deployment. Earl's thoughts are always informed and interesting.

In separate events this week, Verizon remained bullish about the millimeter wave spectrum for fixed wireless access services and announced Los Angeles as one of the initial cities where it will be deployed this year.

For the fiscal second quarter, Skyworks reported that revenue grew 7 percent year-pver-year (Y/Y) to $913 million, non-GAAP gross margin increased 30 basis points (Y/Y) to 50.7 percent and earnings per share (EPS) grew 13 percent Y/Y to $1.64. The company also disclosed the ban on exporting products to ZTE represents a $25 million to $30 million reduction in annual revenue, mostly from mobile phone products.

Strong demand in Wi-Fi, IoT and defense, coupled with improving demand from China's handset manufacturers, grew Qorvo’s Q4 revenue to $665 million, up 3.5 percent compared to last years’s quarter. For the full year, Qorvo reported just under $3 billion in revenue, down 2 percent from fiscal 2017.