Apple shatters analyst forecasts, CIG looks closer.

With iPhones meteoric sales and Macs as strong as ever, Apple shines again.

A 3rd net profit leap of 13% saw Apple continue to fly in the face of the global recession. Sales of its new iPhone sold more than seven times as many units as a year ago, a staggering 5.2 million units of its latest signature device. Net profit of $1.23 billion, or $ 1.35 a share for the 3rd fiscal quarter was reported, an improvement from $1.07billion or $1.19 per share, over the previous year, CIG has learned. Mac and iPhone both beat analyst’s expectations, aided by product upgrades and lower prices, while the iPods sales came in closer to the lower side of predictions. Mac sales where up year on year by 4 % to around 2.6 million, while iPhones reached the 5.2 million mark in the 3rd quarter, when the 3rd generation iPhone 3GS was launched and the price of the second generation unit was cut. CIG has learned that up to 20% of Fortune 100 companies have bought 10,000 units and demand for the new 3GS far outstrips present supply, a situation which the company has said they are addressing with urgency. Whilst Mac sales rose, revenue in the segment dropped 8% year on year as average selling prices came down, a trend CIG has seen throughout the industry. Overall Apple posted a gross margin 36%, above the 34% industry analysts had predicted, compared to the 34.8% a year ago.

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