Record sale of both Macs and iPads help Apple fix unexampled marks for quarterly revenue and earnings for its fiscal quaternary - quartern .

The company herald Tuesday that it log $ 28.27 billion in gross and $ 6.62 billion in last profit for the three - calendar month period ended on September 24 . That ’s an increase of 38 percent in taxation and 54 pct in lucre from the twelvemonth - agone figure . Apple earned $ 7.05 per diluted share , up 52 percent from year - ago earnings of $ 4.64 a share .

“ We are thrilled with the very substantial finis of an outstanding fiscal 2011 , arise one-year revenue to $ 108 billion and produce lucre to $ 26 billion , ” CEO Tim Cook said in a prepared command .

Article image

Wall Street may be less thrilled : analysts were looking for the society to brand net of $ 7.39 a plowshare and revenue of $ 29.69 billion , according to Thomson Reuters . Still , Apple ’s result come in ahead of the forecast chief financial military officer Peter Oppenheimer offer in July , when he tell analysts to gestate earnings of $ 5.50 per share and revenues of $ 25 billion during the fourth stern .

However , Apple seems to have high expectations for the coming vacation season . Oppenheimer told analyst to gestate December quarter revenue of $ 37 billion — that ’s a 38 percent leap from the $ 26.74 billion Apple recorded last year . Apple ask earnings per part of $ 9.30 , up from $ 6.43 last class .

The September quarter check the end of Apple ’s financial class , and 2011 proved to be a very strong one for Apple . The fellowship says it betray 72 million iPhones , 32 million iPads , and 17 million Macs during the last 12 months .

Article image

Mac sales

Apple sold 4.89 million Macs during the quarter , which was a 26 - per centum jump over Mac sales during the 4th quarter of 2010 . More significant , Apple fix a new record for Mac sales in this past after part , topping the 4.13 million computers it sold during the first quarter of 2011 .

macintosh sales grew at more than six times the charge per unit forecasted by market - research firm IDC for the overall PC market , according to Apple .

Much of that growth arrive from July’slaunch of the Thunderbolt - equip MacBook Air , though Oppenheimer tell the MacBook Pro persist in to perform well . portable now account for 74 percent of Apple ’s Mac sale .

Article image

Still , desktop Macs were n’t totally ignore during the tail . The 1.278 million desktop Apple sold during the 4th quarter represent a fellowship record , Oppenheimer said . Credit for that goes to the iMac , which Apple update in May .

The other meaning Mac - related launching during the fourth quarter was Mac OS X Lion . During the call , Oppenheimer reiterated the previously tell figure that the update operating system has been download 6 million time since its July release .

Cook did sound a annotation of caution when fielding an psychoanalyst enquiry duringTuesday ’s conference callabout recent implosion therapy in Thailand . Severe weather in that part of the worldcould impact hard driving productionfor companies like Apple that get computer components from Thailand .

Article image

“ It is something I ’m concerned about , ” Cook said . “ We do bear there will be an overall industry dearth of disc drives as a result of the disaster . How it affects Apple , I ’m not sure . ”

iPad record

Like the Mac , the iPad also enjoy a record stern , with 11.12 million tablet sold . That ’s a 166 percent jump over the 4.1 million iPads Apple sell during last year ’s fourth quarter .

Apple launched the iPad 2 in another 28 land ; it ’s now selling the tablet in 90 countries around the world , with the tablet market representing a “ huge chance , ” accord to Oppenheimer .

“ It ’s pretty clear that if you forecast out in time , that the pad market will be big than the PC market , ” Cook told analyst . question again about the iPad taking away from Mac sales , Cook know some cannibalization , but taper out that the pad was get customers from other platforms as well .

Article image

“ Some masses are electing to buy an iPad rather than a Mac , ” he said . “ A materially larger figure are electing to buy an iPad or else of a Windows - ground PC . ”

Recognized revenue from the iPad segment was $ 6.9 billion for the quarter . Apple tallied $ 2.8 billion in recognized iPad revenue last twelvemonth .

The iPad does confront growing challenger , most notably from Amazon.com ’s newly launched Kindle Fire . Apple executives , however , expect to maintain the iPad ’s strong handgrip on the lozenge grocery .

Article image

“ When you assess this thing , with iOS 5 , iCloud , iTunes , App Store , books , movies , and over 140,000 aboriginal apps for iPad , vs. a phone number in C of the other guys , I experience very very convinced about our ability to vie , and extremely convinced in our merchandise grapevine , ” Cook articulate .

iPhone figures

The iPhone enjoyed solid gross sales profit for the tail . The 17.07 million phones Apple sold during the three - month full point represent a 21 per centum increase from last class ’s sale . Some psychoanalyst , however , were depend for the society to sell between 18 million and 20 million earpiece .

Still , Apple did n’t seem too disappointed by the carrying into action of its telephone , which still enter acknowledge tax revenue of a little less than $ 11 billion . That compares to $ 8.8 billion in the twelvemonth - agone quarter . The society also say it enjoyed particularly strong iPhone sales in its Asia - Pacific area , where sales of the earphone more than double .

Oppenheimer did concede that rumour of a coming iPhone update put a damper on sales , peculiarly afterwards in the summer . After previewing iOS 5 at June ’s Worldwide Developer Conference — and slating the mobile OS for a gloaming release — Apple catch as sales declined in the latter part of the quarter .

Article image

“ We choose to defer add unexampled carriers or res publica , love that we would plunge the 4S in October , and we wanted to establish them with our in style intersection , ” Oppenheimer told analysts . “ That had some encroachment on the quarter . The bad impact was the very pervasive hearsay , specially in 2d half of the quarter . ”

It ’s worth note that the fourth - quarter shape do n’t contain any numbers from last Friday ’s vent of the iPhone 4S. Apple has said thatsales of the new telephone set topped 4 millionduring its curtain raising weekend .

“ I ’m convinced that we will set an all - time disk for iPhone this quarter , ” Cook told analysts during Tuesday ’s group discussion call .

presently available in seven countries , Apple plan to roll out the phone to 22 unexampled countries by the goal of the month . By year ’s remainder , the iPhone 4S should be sell in 70 nation . The improver of Sprint as a wireless provider in the U.S. means that 230 carrier now support the iPhone in 105 countries .

Apple is in the midst with a series of legal engagement over the iPhone , most notably with Samsung and other makers of Android handsets . That propel a question from one psychoanalyst about the ongoing litigation , but Cook declined to go into specifics .

“ We spend a lot of clock time and money and resource in coming up with incredible innovations , ” Cook said . “ We do n’t like it when someone else claim those . And so that ’s why we regrettably have been pushed into the court organisation as a remedy to that . ”

iPods and music

iPod sales continued their fall in the quarter . Apple say it sell 6.6 million iPods , a fall - off from the 9.1 million it sold in the same quarter last year . Still , those sales were out front of Apple ’s expectations , Oppenheimer said .

The iPod contact answer for for around half of the iPods sold during the after part . Apple say it still enjoys a 70 percent portion of the music histrion market place and that the iPod stay on the top - selling MP3 player in most of the countries the company monitor .

Apple got much better intelligence from its iTunes section , which summate record revenue of $ 1.5 billion . In picky , Oppenheimer said the company is pleased that its iBookstore is grow in popularity — customers download 180 million record book during the one-quarter .

Retail efforts

Apple opened 30 novel stores during its fourth quarter , with 21 of those opening their doors out of doors of the U.S. The last weekend of the quaternary quartern was finical meddlesome for Apple ’s retail attempt : The company launched seven stores in six rural area , including its first way out in Hong Kong .

That Hong Kong store as well as anew retail effort in Shanghaiare particularly noteworthy , as Apple ’s six outlets in greater China are among its highest trafficked .

Cook observe that China made up just 2 percent of Apple ’s business in 2009 ; it ’s turn to 12 percent this fiscal year . The troupe visit $ 4.5 billion in taxation from China in the fourth quarter alone , making it Apple ’s fastest - develop major neighborhood by far .

“ This is clearly a giant securities industry for Apple , and one that ’s ripe for sales to consumers , ” Cook said .

All recite , Apple ’s retail memory board generated $ 3.6 billion in revenue . Oppenheimer said that unattackable year - over - twelvemonth growth in Mac and iPad gross sales through the company ’s stores was set off by a decline in iPhone sale , as customers restrain out for Apple ’s smartphone update . About one-half of the 1.1 million Macs betray through the stock in the fourth quarter were to first - fourth dimension Mac owners .

Look for Apple ’s retail efforts to continue an outside bent grass in 2012 . The caller plan to open 40 fund next yr ; three - quarters of those will be outside the U.S. Apple is also look to “ exposit and exchange ” high - volume stores that Oppenheimer said were “ too strained to deliver the ask customer experience . ”

Other notes

Apple end the quartern with $ 81.6 billion in cash and myopic - term investments on hand . That ’s up from $ 76.2 billion at the end of the June quarter .

Tuesday ’s conference call was the first wage annunciation since Steve Jobs reconcile as the party ’s CEO in August . Cook , who succeeded Jobs , begin the call with a testimonial to Apple ’s co - beginner , who pass away earlier this month after a foresighted struggle with pancreatic cancer .

“ The world has lost a illusionist and an amazing human being , ” Cook told analyst . “ Steve was a expectant loss leader and wise man … His spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple , and we are dedicated to proceed the awing work that he loved so much . ”