New and Noteworthy: Apple posts US$ 320 million profit on US $3.52 billion -- best quarter ever; more

Apple posts $320 million profit on $3.52 billion Apple has reported earnings of $320 million, representing $.37 per share, on revenues of $3.52 billion. Analysts had expected the company to post a profit of 33 cents per share on $3.33 billion in revenue. These results compare to a net profit of $61 million, or $.08 per diluted share, and revenue of $2.01 billion in the year- ago quarter, and represent revenue growth of 75 percent and net profit growth of 425 percent. During the quarter, 1,182,000 Macintosh units and 6,155,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 35 percent growth in Macs and 616 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter. More.

Apple piles up profits in spite of possible Intel-related slump A Detroit Free Press piece notes some of Apple's more recent profitable successes, including its retail chain, and downplays the negative impact brought by the Intel transition. "While Apple will continue with its own rock-solid and very impressive OS X operating system -- updated last month to universally great reviews -- the use of Intel chips means those new Macs will also be able to easily run Windows and PC programs. That won't happen until next year. In the interim, though, some analysts have speculated that the decision might cause some would-be Apple buyers to postpone their purchases until the new machines are available. That could hurt short-term sales and stall what has been a runaway growth spurt. There's no indication that has yet happened. Today, Apple will report the results of its fiscal third quarter after the stock market closes. Analysts expect the company to post a profit of 33 cents per share on $3.33 billion in revenue, up from 8 cents per share last year. More.

Apple Hanging on a 'Halo' TheStreet says the time may be ripe for Apple to get back to the Mac. "Over the last two years, the company's popular iPod music players have revived the company's financial results and stock price. But now, with iPod sales slowing, many investors awaiting Wednesday's third-quarter results are turning their attention back to core computer sales." More.

Previously on MacFixIt:

• Apple releases Mac OS X 10.4.2, Mac OS X 10.4.2 Server
• iTunes 4.9 (#6): More on frequent music playing stalls/freezes, iPod synchronization problems
• iSync 2.1 (#2): Problems with Bluetooth
• Odds and Ends: Knowledge Base Updates

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