Apple recently announced their first quarter financial results and per usual, they made quite a hefty profit. $3.38 billion to be exact (or $3.67 profit per share). They brought in revenues of $15.68 billion. Note that these numbers are up from last quarter’s profit of $2.26 billion on $11.88 billion in revenue. More to the point, this is the best quarter they have ever had. Let’s break it down by product: Apple sold 3.36 million Macs (representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter), 8.7 million iPhones (representing 100 percent unit growth), and 21 million iPods (representing an eight percent unit decline). No surprise there; iPod sales have been declining for some time now. Note that this decline factors general iPod sales; iPod touch sales were up 55 percent.
According to the earnings PR, “The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.” *Cough–Apple Tablet–cough.* Sorry, I was just clearing my throat. Might as well throw in a possibility of seeing the next iLife, iPhone OS 4.0, and maybe even witness AT&T’s iPhone exclusitivity fall by the wayside to Verizon. Remember to check back here tomorrow night for all Apple announcements.
Every quarter seems to surpass the last financially for Apple. With Steve Jobs at the helm, what else more could you expect? The man is an inspiration, and his company is his vision. “Apple at the core, its core value, is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.” Watch as Steve Jobs (in shorts!) motivates the industry in a video captured about ten years ago when he returned to Apple.