Record Mac and iPhone sales lift Apple profits 47 per cent

For the fiscal quarter ended 26 September, Apple earned $9.87 billion in revenue, up 25 per cent from $7.8 billion in the year before. Analysts had been expecting revenue between $8.74 billion and $10.55 billion.

Apple sold 3.05 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, up 17 per cent on a year ago, and 10.2 million iPods, down 8 per cent.

The company sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter, up seven per cent, and doubled the sales of iPod Touches.

Apple's iPhone sales were boosted by the unveiling of the 3GS in June, at which time Apple also cut the price of the phone's previous generation, 3G.

Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, said: "We are thrilled to have sold more Macs and iPhones than in any previous quarter. We've got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010."

Following the positive results, Apple's share price hit an all-time high, rising by more than 7.5 per cent to above $204 in extended after-hours trading. The company's previous high was $202.96 in December 2007.

For its full fiscal year Apple said it increased revenue by 12 per cent to $36.5 billion, and net profit by 18 per cent to $5.7 billion.

Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's chief financial officer, said: "Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue in the range of about $11.3 billion to $11.6 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $1.70 to $1.78."

Apple said the iPhone would go on sale in China later this month, ahead of the busy Christmas period.

Last month, Apple's App Store also experienced unprecedented demand, with half a billon apps being downloaded in the current quarter, taking the total amount through the two billion barrier.