Thursday, April 26, 2007

Apple posted its latest quarterly earnings on Wednesday, and results surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. Apple profits jumped 88 percent in the quarter to $770 million on revenues of $5.26 billion, the company said. Sales of iPod portable media players rose 24 percent in the quarter to 10.5 million units, while sales of Macintosh computer systems rose even higher, 36 percent, to 1.5 million units.

Apple's strong performance comes during a time in which it has not shipped major updates to either of its two product lines. Apple will bolster its iPod line with the iPod sometime in June, and the company expects to ship the next update to the Mac operating system software in October. Presumably, Apple will refresh its other Mac and iPod hardware throughout the year as well.

While the iPod continues to dominate the digital music world, Apple's Mac has seen only limited real world gains, despite the strong growth.

Still, there's a growing consensus that Apple's successes with the Mac are not so easily characterized. Though the Mac's market share remains tiny, Macs are indeed selling well and generating plenty of profits for Apple. Presumably, the company can continue as a specialty PC maker whose products are loved for their design aesthetics, performance, and security. And though there are indications that Apple is preoccupied with its consumer electronics products, the Mac market remains both viable and desirable.

Labels: Apple, iPod, Mac