Apple logs another record quarter

Mac and iPod sales drive billion-dollar profits

Apple has logged another record financial quarter, posting $7.51bn in revenues and more than $1bn in total profit over the first three months of the year.

"We are delighted to report 43 per cent revenue growth and the strongest March quarter revenue and earnings in Apple's history," said chief executive Steve Jobs.

"With over $17bn in revenue for the first half of our fiscal year, we have strong momentum to launch some terrific new products in the coming quarters."

Apple sold just over 2.25 million Macintosh computers, up 51 per cent over the same period in 2007. More than 1.4 million notebooks and 856,000 desktop models were sold, and Mac sales accounted for nearly $3.5bn of Apple's total revenues.

The second biggest cash source for Apple was its iPod range. The company sold 10.6 million players during the quarter, accounting for roughly $1.8bn in revenue.

Apple's highest profile device, the iPhone, accounted for a much smaller proportion of the company's revenues. The company shipped 1.7 million iPhones, bringing in $378m over the quarter.

The report follows a 2007 holiday season in which Apple reported record profits behind strong Mac and iPhone sales.

Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said: "Looking ahead to the third quarter of fiscal 2008, we expect revenue of about $7.2bn and earnings per diluted share of about $1."