Record Mac sales drive Apple's strongest results

Third-quarter figures show a 38 per cent increase in sales

Apple posts a record third quarter amid soaring Mac sales

Apple unveiled record turnover of $7.46bn (£3.72bn) in its third fiscal quarter, up 38 per cent on the same period last year, as Mac sales surged 43 per cent to an all-time high of 2,496,000 units.

Profit for the quarter hit $1.07bn (£0.53bn), up from $818m (£408m) for the third quarter of 2008, and international sales made up 42 per cent of revenue.

The company enjoyed its best ever June quarter, said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.

“We’re proud to report the best June quarter for both revenue and earnings in Apple’s history,” he said.

“We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with our new iPhone 3G, and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months.”

Apple sold 11,011,000 iPods during the quarter, representing seven per cent growth in revenue over the same quarter of 2007, while iPhone sales hit 717,000 compared with 270,000.