By Tom Krazit
Wednesday, July 23 2008 07:03 AM
URL: http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,62044040,00.htm

Apple has reported record Mac sales and one of its best third quarters ever, but delivered its usual conservative guidance for the next quarter.

For the company's third fiscal quarter, which ended 28 June, Apple reported US$7.46 billion in revenue and net profit of US$1.07 billion, equal to US$1.19 per share. The results far exceeded the company's own guidance for the quarter and also beat Wall Street expectations of US$7.37 billion and US$1.08 per share.

Mac sales were roughly in line with forecasts, at 2.5 million units shipped during the quarter, and iPod shipments were a little higher than expected, at 11 million units. Mac shipments grew by 41 percent, while iPod shipments grew 12 percent. Sales of iPhones were 717,000 during the quarter--approximately what was expected. Due to the supply issues Apple ran into around the middle of May, iPhone sales suffered, but momentum has been regained subsequently, with one million iPhone 3Gs already sold.

Apple's guidance for the upcoming quarter was well below Wall Street forecasts. The company said to expect US$7.8 billion in revenue and earnings per share of US$1, while analysts were looking for US$8.3 billion in revenue and US$1.24 in earnings per share.

This article was first published as a blog on CNET News.com.