Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 22 July 2008 10:35
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Overall, Apple recorded $US7.46 billion in revenue and $US1.07 billion profit for the quarter. Not only did the company hit a new Mac sales record, it also achieved the highest revenue and earnings for the June quarter in the company's history.
About the only bad news in the headline figures is that gross margin has declined from 36.9 to 34.8 percent on on year-on-year basis, and the company is predicting a further fall.
"Looking ahead to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, we expect revenue of about $US7.8 billion and earnings per diluted share of about $US1.00" compared with $US1.19 for the June quarter, said Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer.
CEO Steve Jobs was his usual upbeat self: "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."
So what do you think Jobs was alluding to? There have been persistent reports/rumours of a Mac tablet being under development. But will that turns out to be a full-blown Mac with a multi-touch screen or something closer to a larger version of the iPod touch? Either way, it could be handy around the house or office.
And although Apple still casts the Mac in the 'digital hub' role, there would be a lot to be said for a revamped Apple TV featuring a tuner. Sure, it wouldn't do anything for Apple's revenue stream from the iTunes Store, but much of the resistance to Apple TV seems to stem from its inability to provide full PVR functionality.
What else might be on the way? Read the rest of my ruminations on
page 3, then post a comment to share your expectations.
