By Nivedita Balu and Aditya Soni (Reuters) – Apple Inc’s earnings report on Thursday may show the best quarterly sales growth for iPhones this year but it could still foreshadow a difficult holiday period as China demand slows and inflation hits multi-decade highs. Analysts expect iPhone sales to rise 11% in the fiscal fourth quarter ended September, according to Refinitiv, thanks to consumers upgrading to the company’s premium-priced Pro phones. However, growth is estimated to slow to just 2% in the crucial holiday quarter. The early days of the iPhone 14 product cycle have indicated lacklust…