Apple announces record profits

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 20 Oct 2009 at 08:17

Apple's sales hit $9.87 billion in its fourth quarter, as the company recorded its "most profitable quarter ever".

At the heart of the story were bumper sales of iPhones and Macs which saw profits soar 46% to $1.67 billion, with revenue jumping 25%. The company claims to have sold 7.4 million iPhones and 3.5 million Macs over the last three months, an increase of 17% on this time last year.

Indeed, the only area of Apple's business that suffered over the quarter was the iPod line, which registered an 8% decline from last year with 10.2 million units sold. This is the second consecutive quarter that sales have dropped.

We've got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010

However, the company speculated that this was likely down to greater adoption of the iPhone, which includes all the same functions as an iPod.

"We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter," says Apple boss Steve Jobs. "We've got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010."

Customers will be hoping that the long-rumoured Apple tablet is among these. If recent reports are to be believed, the device features a 10in touchscreen running the iPhone OS that can also hook up to a Mac and be used as a secondary screen, or clever touchpad.