By most measures, Apple had a banner third quarter. It beat Wall Street's expectations for earnings, posting revenue of US$7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per diluted share. These results compare with revenue of $5.41 billion and net quarterly profit of $818 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
Sales were brisk, as the earnings indicate: Apple shipped 2.49 million Macintosh computers during this quarter - a 41% increase from the same period last year. It sold 11,011,000 iPods during the quarter, representing a 12% unit growth and 7% revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. It also moved 717,000 iPhone units this past quarter, compared with 270,000 in the year-ago-quarter.
In short, it was the best June quarter for both revenue and earnings in Apple's history, said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with our new iPhone 3G, and we're busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months."
