Apple
announced record sales of iPads, iPhones and Macs, as well as its highest-ever
earnings and revenue, during a Jan. 18 conference call announcing the results
of its fiscal 2011 first quarter, which closed Christmas Day. Net profit during the quarter was $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share, on revenue of $26.74 billion.
"We
had a phenomenal holiday quarter," Apple CEO
Steve Jobs said in a statement released in advance of the call. "We are
firing on all cylinders, and we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline for
this year, including iPhone 4 on Verizon, which customers can’t wait to get their
hands on."
The
industry was also anxious to hear if there would be news of Jobs, who Jan. 17 announced
he would be taking a medical leave — his third — to "focus on his health."
Jobs battled pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in
2009.
However,
Apple didn’t discuss Jobs’ health during the call, and Jobs made no surprise
appearance, as he did during last quarter’s call. However, when asked how far
in advance Apple’s planned road map extends, COO
Tim Cook, who will take over the day-to-day operations of Apple in Jobs’
absence, declined to answer — "That’s part of the magic of Apple, and I don’t
want anyone to know our magic, because I don’t want anyone copying it,"
Cook said — but offered a comment about his confidence in Apple that seemed,
perhaps, to more exactly address how well Apple will be able to get by in Jobs’
absence.
For more, read the eWeek article: Apple iPad, iPhone, Mac Sales Break Records During Q1.
