Apple Fourth Quarter: Record Mac and iPhone Sales

When Apple’s fiscal quarters are up, it’s always interesting to hear what kind of sales are happening over at Cupertino. This is especially interesting considering the recession that’s going on at the moment. Let’s take a look at what the 2009 Q4 results were (ended Sept.26/09).

These Numbers Will Make Investors Happy

– Revenue of $9.87 billion ($7.9 billion a year ago)
– Net quarterly profit of $1.67 billion ($1.14 billion a year ago)
– Gross margin was 36.6%, up from 34.7% a year ago
– 46% of the quarter’s revenue from International sales

Jeez! Apple is just killing it right now in sales. People can’t get enough of their products. What about iPhone and Mac sales? Here are the numbers:

Are iPhones Taking Over the World?

– 3.05 million Macs sold (17% increase from a year ago)
– 10.2 million iPods sold (8% decline from a year ago)
– 7.4 million iPhones sold (7% increase from a year ago)

Unbelievable. Mac and iPhone sales increased, but iPod sales decreased. More and more people are using their cellphones for music, and when you have an iPhone there is no point in buying an iPod as well. What’s interesting to note is that Apple announced that China will be selling the iPhone starting October 30th. Starting with 1000 points of sale, we can expect iPhone numbers to truly explode especially once you factor in Christmas sales. Times are good at Cupertino.

Here’s what Steve Jobs had to say:

“We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010.”

New products coming in 2010? Hmm…what could be in the mix? New iPhone? New iMac and Macbooks? The anticipated iTablet and next generation Mighty Mouse? What’s also impressive is how well Apple is able to contain leaks of new product announcements.

iPhone Competitors Are Still Playing Catch Up–to the First Gen iPhone

“Frankly I think people are trying to catch up with the first iPhone two years ago,” Cook said. “We’ve long since moved beyond that.”

This is a very bold statement by Tim Cook, but it’s true. Ever since the first gen iPhone was launched, all the talks of “iPhone killers” have fizzled every single time. As for trying to catch up to the first generation iPhone, I would say right now competitors are almost there–but their execution in delivering an amazing user experience like Apple is far from close. These numbers would be staggering for any company to achieve, even if it wasn’t Apple. I hope you own some Apple stock!

PS – Rumors are swirling that new Apple hardware is coming tomorrow. Keep your eyes peeled on the Apple Store!

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