Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter ended September 25, 2010. First to the important figures. The company posted record revenue of $20.34 bn and net quarterly profit of $4.31 bn, as compared to revenue of $12.21 bn and net quarterly profit of $2.53 bn the company registered same time last year. International sales accounted for 57 percent of the quarter’s revenue. However, iPod sales during the quarter showed a 11 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter – total number of units sold being 9.05 mn.

The hightlights:

• iPhone sales of 14.1 mn were up 91 percent year-over-year, beating the 12.1 mn phones RIM sold in their most recent quarter. And Apple promises “we still have a few surprises left for the remainder of this calendar year.”
• Apple sold 3.89 mn Macs during the quarter, a 27 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. 
• Sold 9.05 mn iPods during the quarter, representing an 11 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. 
• The company also sold 4.19 mn iPads during the quarter.

Commenting at the stellar performance, Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO, said, “We’re thrilled with the performance and strength of our business, generating almost $5.7 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter. Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 bn and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.80.”