Euro iPhone News

Last night Apple announced Q3 results far above the street numbers. Full release below.

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 fourth quarter ended September 27, 2008. The Company posted revenue of $7.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.14 billion, or $1.26 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $6.22 billion and net quarterly profit of $904 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, up from 33.6 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 41 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhone(TM) and Apple TV® over their economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the quarter are $11.68 billion of “Adjusted Sales” and $2.44 billion of “Adjusted Net Income.”

Apple shipped 2,611,000 Macintosh® computers during the quarter, representing 21 percent unit growth and 17 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 11,052,000 iPods during the quarter, representing eight percent unit growth and three percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone units sold were 6,892,000 compared to 1,119,000 in the year-ago-quarter.

Its time to open the kimono and show the world the latest sales numbers for ipods and macs that have been shifted in the last 3 months. For Q3, the consensus estimate is for $8 billion in revenue and EPS of $1.11, a healthy margin over the company’s official guidance of $1 EPS on revenue of $7.5 billion.

In an PR statement yesterday Apple siad that the four big US networks all offer HD shows via iTunes that is now the most popular place to download TV shows.

“We’ve got an incredible Fall 2008 TV lineup with over 70 primetime comedies and dramas, including many of the most popular shows on TV in stunning HD,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “With over 200 million episodes sold, iTunes customers have proven they love watching television on their computer, iPod, iPhone and TV with Apple TV.”

200 million shows at $1.99 is a reasonable chunk of cash. Of course how much of the $400M Apple keeps after paying the studios and servers is open to debate.

At the notebook event this week Apple showed how it is now making the new machines from a solid block of aluminium. Te two new machines look great with a large glass screen and a smooth metal body. And even better they are shipping right now.Apple also launched a new fancy 24″ display designed to work with the new machines. 

T3 readers picked the Touch as the best music gadget of the year and iPhone as best computer gadget. Readers cast over 50,000 votes. Thats quite a few mouse clicks. See t3.com for full details. 

NPD research group’s findings published by Internetnews shows that Apple have grown market share from 11% in June to 17% at the end of August. That’s not to shabby.Of course this is the periord of the 3G launch. But now a number of other touch based deveices are availale or comming soon and this will be more competition for the iPhone. And RIM has a bunch of new products hitting the consumer marketplace. 

Reporting by our friends at AppleInsider offer up evidence that the large UK reseller will soon be flogging MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air andsundry other Apple stuff including Mac mini and iMac’s. As they have 800 or so stores this would be a major expansion of the UK points of presence. If I recall thay have a tie up with Best Buy, a first class US retailer of all things electric.We awiat final evidence….  

Currently royalties are 9.1 cents on a digital download and the National Music Publisher Association wanted to bump rates to 15 cents.

Apple threatened to close iTunes rather that raise the 99 cent price.

The Royalty Board rejected the request.