More from Apple's earnings report
• Apple was quizzed on its plans to take a cut from iPod accessory sales.
CNET News.com reported last month that Apple has been seeking to get add-on makers to pay a royalty equal to 10 percent of an accessory's wholesale price in order to display an Apple-sanctioned "Made for iPod" logo.
CFO Peter Oppenheimer noted that Apple had recently launched the program, but shed little light on how the program might impact the company's bottom line.
"This is to help customers determine which iPod accessories will work seamlessly with their iPod and developers to get technical support and information very quickly to get products to market faster," he said. "The terms of this program are confidential and I can't go into that."
• As expected, HP's share of the iPod market dropped significantly last quarter, accounting for just 3 percent of iPod sales, Apple Executive VP Tim Cook said on the call. However, Cook noted that HP is updating its line to include the iPod Photo. "We continue to be very happy to partner with them on this product," he added.
• Cook hinted that more retail deals might be coming in the wake of Apple's deal to sell the Mac Mini at Best Buy. "We're continuing to look at our channel strategy," he said. "To the degree we can find channels that we believe give us incremental customers with a high quality buying experience, we would make other moves."
• It's going to get a little harder to tell how Apple's individual products are doing. The company told analysts that, starting next quarter, it will break down computer sales only into desktops and laptops, rather than offering product-by-product results as it has done for some time.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
