Apple’s second-quarter sales were muted, but earnings were better than analysts were expecting. The iPhone maker is pointing to a return to growth this quarter, and it announced a $110 billion share buyback — its biggest ever. Despite the encouraging highlights, net income fell 2% from a year earlier to $23.64 billion, while revenue dropped 4%. CEO Tim Cook noted that sales in the 2023 period included iPhone 14s delayed by COVID-supply issues. He also said Apple would announce AI-related plans at its iPad event next week. While sales in China — the company’s third-biggest market — fell 8% to $17.8 billion, those results too beat analysts’ estimates.