Apple Inc. reported fourth-quarter earnings that came in line with estimates amid an improvement in gross margin. Revenues, however, trailed estimates, dragged by weaker-than-expected iPhone sales. Component shortages apparently have taken a bite out of Apple, leading to weakness in its flagship product. China, which of late has been fueling Apple’s strong performance, also sagged a bit. Apple’s Key Q4 Metrics Apple reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.24 on revenues of $83.4 billion, up 29 percent year-over-year. The bottom-line result came in line with the consensus, while revenues were shy of the consensus estimate of $84.55 billion. A year ago, revenues and earnings per share (EPS) were at 73 cents and $50.15 billion, respectively. In the third quarter ended June 26, 2021, the company reported revenues of $81.4 billion and EPS of $1.30. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives was estimating a $1-billion-plus beat on the top line, driven by the …