Apple has said that it finished 2008 with record quarterly profit of $1.61 billion, with iPod sales hitting an all-time high.
The iconic California company last night posted revenue of $10.17 billion in the three months ending December 27, 2008 and declared quarterly earnings of $1.78 per share.
Analysts had forecast Apple earnings of $1.29 per share for the quarter. The results topped the profit of $1.58 billion, or $1.76 per share, seen by the firm in the same quarter a year earlier.
'Even in these economically challenging times, we are incredibly pleased to report our best quarterly revenue and earnings in Apple history - surpassing $10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time ever,' Apple's CEO Steve Jobs said in a written release.
The price of Apple stock jumped nearly 8% in after-hours trading that followed the release of the earnings figures last night.
Apple reported selling 2.52 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing 9% growth over the same period in 2007. It sold a record 22.73 million iPods during the quarter, representing 3% unit growth.
Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook said he believes iPhones are 'years ahead of the competition' and that they are vigilantly watching to make certain rivals don't usurp Apple's intellectual property.
The 9% surge in overall sales of Macintosh computers was fueled by the popularity of laptop models, with sales of desktop machines sagging by 20% from the same quarter a year earlier.
Apple's online iTunes shop also had its best music-selling quarter ever, hitting new peaks for Christmas Day and the holiday week, according to executives.
Apple said it does not plan to produce low-price iPhone models. 'We are not going to play in the low end voice business,' Cook said. We will let someone else do that. Our objective is not to be the leader in the cell phone industry; it is to build the world's best phones,' he added.
