This is not what the article says. It isn't discussing quarter-over-quarter sales. It references year-over-year sales.

It is also discussing supply chain order volumes, which can indicate future expectations of sales by the company (Apple).

It's more than what you said. Apple is a solid supply chain company and they understand quarter-to-quarter demand changes. It turns out that their Q1 estimates were too high by 10%. The initial estimates already accounted for the cyclical holiday season.