Shadowing Practice: Tim Cook’s Final Lines from Apple’s Q3 2026 Earnings Call - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Each week on Quarters, we sit with public earnings calls and listen for the human part.
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These calls are long, mostly numbers and caution language, but every once in a while a person leaks through or tries to.
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Sometimes the leak is a catchphrase.
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Sometimes it's a goodbye that almost pretends it isn't one.
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I'm Terry and today, Apple, Tim Cook.
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July 30th, his last earnings call as CEO.
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He opens like a man who still has one more game to win.
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Today, Apple is pleased to report $109.4 billion in revenue, up 16% from a year ago and a June quarter record.
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We were able to achieve this despite supply constraints and sequential foreign exchange headwinds.
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We continue to see enormous customer enthusiasm for our most popular
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lineup ever with iPhone revenue growing 22% from a year ago to reach a June quarter record.
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We saw so much excitement around the best Mac lineup we've ever had, growing a strong 29% to achieve a June quarter revenue record.
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Services also set a June quarter record with $30.7 billion in revenue.
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109.4, best June they've ever had.
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iPhone up 22, Mac up 29, services another record.
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That's a freaking parade of results.
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And after hours, Wall Street looked at the guide.
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Second, we expect the impact from supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially.
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The projected supply constraints in the September quarter affect iPhone, Mac, and iPad.
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As a result, we expect our September quarter total company revenue to grow between 9 and 11 percent year over year.
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Supply constraints, growth cooling to something like 9 to 11 percent and the stock slipped roughly 6-7 percent.
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Throughout all of it, we will remain guided by our North Star,
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building the best products and services to enable people to do magical things.
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It's a special privilege to be part of people's lives in lasting and meaningful ways, helping them to create, connect, and experience the world around them.
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I couldn't be more excited to watch our phenomenal story of innovation continue to unfold.
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And I've never been more confident that the best is yet to come.
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The quick and ugly.
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Revenue $109.4 billion.
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Beat June quarter record.
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EPS $2.02.
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Up pretty hard.
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That includes about 11 cents from tariff refunds.
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Gross margin over 50% with that refund help.
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Installed base, over two and a half billion active devices.
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September guide, revenue growth, 9% to 11%, soft versus what the street wanted.
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Because FX and mostly supply, he wins the quarter.
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And so we've got a quarter that we're going to be scrambling on the supply side, essentially.
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The parts department writes the next sentence.
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That's the episode.
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Okay, so the antagonist isn't nobody wants an iPhone.
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The antagonist is physics and dram.
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He says the quiet part with Tim Cook manners.
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Demand ran hotter than even their high expectations.
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iPhone and Mac remarkably better.
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They're scrambling.
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Memory is a hundred year flood.
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And then if you look beyond September, we see the market pricing for memory continuing to increase,
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which could drive an increasing impact on our business, and we're continuing to evaluate this.
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We could actually end it on the chips.
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We won't.
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Before questions, he does the thing you can't put in a spreadsheet.
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Final earnings call, John will lead these going forward.
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Never been more optimistic.
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Tim is now a man putting his coat on the back of the chair and thanking the room.
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Analysts start the Q&A by saying goodbye back.
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Tim, best of luck.
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It's been a pleasure working with you over the years.
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Tim, congratulations on the extraordinary run.
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Obviously, Tim, I've known you a long time.
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I really miss you.
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Which is weirdly tender for a phone full of people who argue about basis points for a living.
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John Turnus is on the call, hardware guy, takes over September 1st. Somebody finally asks him about the competitive landscape,
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open AI devices, weird phone rumors, the whole circus.
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That's it, that's the incoming CEO on the most historic Apple earnings call in years.
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So much opportunity, focused on our plans, very excited.
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Yes, I think there are enormous opportunities for Apple moving forward in AI.
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And, you know, I'm so excited about Siri AI and kind of where it is and where it's going.
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And I'm excited about the feedback that we're getting there.
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And of course, the ability to run some percentage of requests on device is also very strategic
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and sort of a competitive weapon, if you will.
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If Tim does a novel, then John does a fortune cookie.
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Reiterate what Tim said, there is so much opportunity for us with everything that's happening in this space.
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And so we're just really focused on our plans and very excited about it.
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Quirk of the quarter.
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An analyst points out when Tim joined as CEO in 2011,
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Apple did about $108 billion in revenue for the year.
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Hi, yes.
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Thank you.
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Tim, first, congrats on your tenure as CEO.
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You joined back in 2011 when Apple reported $108 billion in revenue,
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and you just delivered a quarter of $109 billion.
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So just an amazing journey.
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I don't know what to do with that except sit with it.
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Same number, different planet, thing that actually means something, the business plainly.
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Apple's machine still prints desire.
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iPhone cycle hot macbook neo and pro pulling services big even
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if a little shy of the dream capex stays relatively light
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versus the hyperscaler arms race that's been part of the stock story
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and then tim the human ending i'm going to be gentle
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here this isn't the zuck episode tim cook does not sound
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on this call like a man performing certainty he doesn't feel
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he sounds like a man who already decided the hand off is the point
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and use the last microphone of the job to bless the next guy
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and thank the weird little congregation of shareholders
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and analysts who show up every 90 days to be honest
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tim kind of sounded like the principal at graduation proud careful
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already halfway down the hallway as you know this will be my final earnings call
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and john will lead these calls going forward the transition is going seamlessly
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and I am beyond excited for John to step into his new role and lead Apple into its next era.
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He is truly one of a kind and there is no better person to take the helm of the company.
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As I've said, I couldn't be more confident in his leadership, in our executive team,
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and in the extraordinary people at Apple who are determined to enrich the lives of our users all over the world.
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That's the character this week, not a ticker, a throat saying goodbye without making a scene.
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I'm Terry.
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If you like this, please subscribe to Quarters.
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No stock tips, just the human part.
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See you next print.

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Understanding the Context: Tim Cook's Farewell Earnings Call

The video features Tim Cook's final earnings call as Apple's CEO, blending financial updates with personal reflection. The dialogue balances technical jargon (e.g., "supply constraints," "gross margin") with heartfelt remarks, making it a rich resource for learning both formal business language and conversational tone. This mix of professionalism and authenticity offers English learners a chance to practice understanding complex topics while picking up natural phrasing.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Guided by our North Star": A metaphor for staying focused on core values. Use it to explain priorities, e.g., "In my team, we’re guided by our North Star: customer satisfaction."
  • "Demand ran hotter than even our high expectations": Describes exceeding forecasts. Adapt to daily life: "The new café’s popularity ran hotter than their expectations."
  • "Scrambling on the supply side": Means rushing to manage resources. Example: "We’re scrambling to finish the project before the deadline."
  • "The best is yet to come": Expresses optimism about the future. A versatile phrase for encouraging others or reflecting on progress.
  • "The quiet part with [manners]": Refers to subtly addressing an unspoken issue. Use it to describe polite honesty: "She mentioned the delay, but kept it as the quiet part with her usual manners."

Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video

The shadowing technique (or "shadow speech") is ideal for mastering the video's mix of speed and clarity. Here's how to practice:

Step 1: Break Down the Dialogue

Start with short segments (10-15 seconds). Focus on Cook's measured pace—he pauses slightly after key points, which helps with rhythm. Repeat each segment until you can match his intonation, especially in phrases like "We continue to see enormous customer enthusiasm," where emphasis on "enormous" and "enthusiasm" drives meaning.

Step 2: Mimic Tone and Stress

Cook balances confidence with humility. Notice how he softens phrases like "I couldn't be more excited" with a warm tone. Use shadow speak to copy this: stress "more" and "excited" to convey genuine enthusiasm. This improves English pronunciation by training your mouth to form natural stress patterns.

Step 3: Focus on Technical Vocabulary

Terms like "sequential foreign exchange headwinds" are challenging, but shadowing helps. Repeat these phrases slowly, breaking them into syllables: "se-quen-tial for-eign ex-change head-winds." Over time, you'll build fluency in complex terminology while maintaining natural flow.

Step 4: Practice with Pauses

The video includes pauses for effect (e.g., after "109.4, best June they've ever had"). Use these pauses to catch up during shadowing. This trains your brain to process speech in real time, a key skill for conversational English.

By using shadowspeak consistently, you'll not only improve pronunciation but also learn to convey meaning through tone—critical for effective communication. Remember: the goal is to mirror, not memorize, so focus on rhythm and expression over perfect repetition.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowwe've ever had · they've ever had · I've never been
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingman who still · people who argue · man who already

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →