Apple Selling More Macs, iPhones; Fewer iPods

By Marcus Yam
published

No matter what it sells, Apple rakes it in.

The iPod isn't as much of a holiday hit as it used to be.

In the days leading up to Apple's special event, the company released its most recent quarterly results, which it was proud to boast as being the all-time highest in revenue and profit.

Apple posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $11.88 billion and net quarterly profit of $2.26 billion, or $2.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.9 percent, up from 37.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold 3.36 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter; sold 8.7 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 100 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter; and sold 21 million iPods during the quarter, representing an eight percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

"If you annualize our quarterly revenue, it’s surprising that Apple is now a $50+ billion company," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "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."

Stay tuned for coverage of Apple's reveal of a new product at tomorrow's event.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • XD_dued
    All i can really say is, good marketing. It might not be truthful marketing (ie macs are better than pcs considering macs ARE pcs now) but then again what marketing is, and it certainly makes me mad, but it really does do a good job to the common person. People like shiny lol.
    Reply
  • Impulse Fire911
    In other news:
    Mac users realize Macs are overpriced and are shocked to discover that pc's can actually be customized affordably.
    Reply
  • vant
    Porsches are overpriced on paper, but that doesn't stop them from posting big gains.

    The main 'spec' that all these paper comparisons miss is the ones you can't see until you use it.

    For example, lift up the new ENVY13 from HP and then compare that to an MBP13. It should be an immediate occurrence of which laptop is higher quality.

    Apple also provides retail locations for warranty repairs, something that other manufacturers lack. No one likes to spend time on the phone waiting and explaining something they can do in person.

    Apple laptops also have strong resale value, something that other laptops lack. My girlfriend just sold her 2007 Macbook for $730 on craigslist (Powercord with no box). Thats just ridiculous. It changes the cost to own immensely, which if you care about that topic, macs are actually far cheaper to own than PCs.
    Reply
  • tacoslave
    My desktop would cost around 6k the way i configured it if i bought it from apple and actually it outperforms it by an immense ammount. In games(lulz @ mac and game in same sentence)it will kill any mac out there guaranteed. I for one believe in building it myself and saving around 5k for a high performance build. Besides if i install osx for around 80 bucks on a $500 build it would outperform a 1k mac guaranteed.
    Reply
  • masterjaw
    No need to bash Apple nor Macs.

    If people want to buy Macs, then do so. Same with people who like PCs. Its just that people are more compelled to buy Macs, especially those who aren't familiar with the specs. As long as the smooth running Mac OS is there, they won't care what's under the hood. But for enthusiasts, what's under the hood are the ones that matters.
    Reply
  • Abrahm
    "Apple sold 3.36 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter;"

    While they tried their best to make this sound impressive and beyond normal, when you consider that the entire computer market saw a 31% increase over the same quarter last year, that number is less impressive.

    Macs aren't taking over, they are just enjoying a rebounding economy, like everyone else.
    Reply
  • jfem
    It should be expected for the ipods to decrease in price based on the law of supply and demand, I plan to buy one this year.
    Reply
  • mj4358
    "All i can really say is, good marketing."
    Marketing only goes so far; Just accept that fact that people like what Apple Offers.
    Reply
  • jonnyboyC
    Good job to apple I'm personally a pc guy but they sure do make a quality product. Sure it may be overpriced but it's not lightweight on hardware, and it's easy to use and usually have very useful user friendly software. And sure OSX is pretty much a highly modified linux which i didn't even realize till i started messing around with ubuntu. But as a company apple pwn most of what's out there
    Reply
  • mj4358
    For those who attribute marketing to Apples success.....
    http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/28/apples-2009-ad-budget-half-a-billion/
    Reply