Blockbuster sales of the iPad and iPhone have fuelled better than expected quarterly results and forecasts from Apple, easing investors' fears after CEO Steve Jobs' decision to take medical leave.
Investors were widely expecting a strong performance from Apple over the Christmas holidays, and the company did not disappoint.
All key product lines exceeded expectations. The company sold 16.2 million iPhones in the quarter, up 86% from a year earlier. It also had strong sales of 7.33 million iPads, and Mac sales rose 23% to 4.1 million units.
Apple reported earnings for its first financial quarter to December 25 of $6 billion, or $6.43 cents a share, up 78% from a year earlier.
Apple, known for its conservative forecasts, also issued a stronger than expected outlook. It expects earnings for the March quarter of $4.90 a share on revenue of $22 billion.
The world's largest technology company by stock market value said on Monday that Jobs, 55, was taking a medical leave of absence without specifying a return date or detailing his condition.
