The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Apple on Thursday posted a smaller-than-expected decline in quarterly revenue, and chief executive officer Tim Cook said the company expects a return to sales growth in the current quarter as it invests in artificial intelligence. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says Apple shares rose almost 3 per cent in extended trade after the report. Apple said fiscal second-quarter revenue fell 4 per cent to $90.8-billion, beating the average analyst estimate of $90.01-billion (all figures U.S.). For Apple's current quarter, which ends in June, Mr. Cook said the iPhone maker expects "to grow low-single digits" in overall revenue. Wall Street expects 1.33-per-cent revenue growth to $82.89-billion. Apple faces a raft of challenges across its business. Smart phone rivals such as Samsung have introduced competing devices aimed at hosting AI chatbots. On the regulatory front, Apple's services business, which contains its App Store and was one of the few areas of growth in the second quarter, is under pressure from a new law in Europe and a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. In Q2, iPhone sales fell 10.5 per cent to $45.96-billion, compared with expectations of $46-billion.