On April 23 Apple reported its third quarter financial results. Apple posted a $9.5 billion profit on $43.6 billion in revenue. Compare this to one year ago, that’s down from a profit of $11.6 billion on $39.2 billion in revenue. That’s the first year-over-year drop in profits and revenue in nearly a decade for the tech company. But still, stay assured Apple is doing just fine in the big scheme of things; they currently have a healthy cash balance of $145 billion. Says CEO Tim Cook: “We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad. Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

Now let’s break it down by product category. Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter (compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter); 19.5 million iPads (compared to 11.8 million); just under 4 million Macs (compared to 4 million); and 5.6 million iPods (compared to 7.7 million). Elsewhere, the App Store has seen 45 billion downloads, and iCloud has amassed 300 million users.

Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of 2013, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue between $33.5 billion to $35.5 billion.

[Via Apple; Engadget]

On Wednesday Apple reported its first quarter financial results and the company broke more records, naturally. Apple posted a $13.1 billion profit on $54.5 billion in revenue. Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $13.06 billion on $46.33 billion in revenue. Says CEO Tim Cook: “We’re thrilled with record revenue of over $54 billion and sales of over 75 million iOS devices in a single quarter. We’re very confident in our product pipeline as we continue to focus on innovation and making the best products in the world.”

Now let’s break it down by product category. Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter (compared to 37 million in the year-ago quarter); 22.9 million iPads (compared to 15.4 million); 4.1 million Macs (compared to 5.2 million); and 12.7 million iPods (compared to 15.4 million). The company’s “hobby” Apple TV sold 2 million units representing a 60 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter.

Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2013, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue between $41-$43 billion.

Leading up to and following Apple’s quarterly financial results, its stock (AAPL) took a nosedive below the $500 threshold. Today, January 24, it dropped 63.51 points (12.35%) to $450.50 when the market closed. After hours it dropped another 2.13 points to $448.37. If there was a time to announce an exciting new product that promises to revolutionize the way we watch and consume TV content, that time would be now.

[Via Apple]

On Thursday Apple reported its fourth quarter financial results, and it’s another record-breaker for the company. Apple posted a $8.2 billion profit on $36 billion in revenue. Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $6.62 billion on $28.72 billion in revenue. Says CEO Tim Cook: “We’re very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results. We’re entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline.”

Now let’s break it down by product category. Apple sold 4.9 million Macs during the quarter (representing a 1 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter); 26.9 million iPhones (representing an 58 percent unit growth); 14 million iPads (representing a 26 percent unit growth); and 5.3 million iPods (representing an 19 percent unit decline). Their “hobby” known as Apple TV sold 1.3 million units generating revenue that Cook admits is ”quite small” but he is still dedicated to the streaming product.

Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2013, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue of about $52 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $11.75.

[Via Apple; Engadget]

On Tuesday Apple reported its third quarter financial results, and while this wasn’t a typical record-setting quarter, it was one the company still remains confident about. Apple posted a $8.8 billion profit on $35 billion in revenue.  Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $7.3 billion on $28.6 billion in revenue.  Says CEO Tim Cook: “We’re thrilled with record sales of 17 million iPads in the June quarter. We’ve also just updated the entire MacBook line, will release Mountain Lion tomorrow and will be launching iOS 6 this Fall. We are also really looking forward to the amazing new products we’ve got in the pipeline.”

Now let’s break it down by product category.  Apple sold 4 million Macs during the quarter (representing a 2 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter); 26 million iPhones (representing an 28 percent unit growth); 17 million iPads (representing a 84 percent unit growth); and 6.8 million iPods (representing an 10 percent unit decline).

Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $7.65.

[Via Apple]

On Tuesday Apple reported record March quarter results and they go like this. Apple posted a $11.6 billion profit on $39.2 billion in revenue.  Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $6.0 billion on $24.7 billion in revenue.  Says CEO Tim Cook: “We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter. The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.”

Now let’s break it down by product category.  Apple sold 4 million Macs during the quarter (representing a 7 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter); 35.1 million iPhones (representing an 88 percent unit growth); an impressive 11.8 million iPads (representing a 151 percent unit growth); and 7.7 million iPods (representing an 15 percent unit decline).

Following this announcement, Apple stock (AAPL) jumped significantly to $610 (a +50 increase), just surpassing Google’s stock that was at $609 that day. Today APPL has cooled down a bit and rests at $603 and Google has taken the lead once more and holds steady at $614.98.

Looking ahead to the third quarter, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.

[Via Apple]

Nintendo is celebrating its 3D portable’s first (US) birthday a few weeks early by releasing an impressive sales figure. (The 3DS was initially released in Japan on February 26, 2011 and later in the US on March 27.) In the States, Nintendo has sold 4.5 million  3DS hardware units since March 2011–that’s nearly twice as many units as the original DS sold in its first year on the market.

Says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime: ”Nintendo 3DS closes its first year with a lengthy list of accomplishments but we’re still just scratching the surface. With a massive lineup of first- and third-party games and more on the way, a budding library of entertainment options and an engaged and growing installed base, Nintendo 3DS has an incredibly bright future. We’re just getting started but this platform is built for the long haul.”

Continue the party after the break with the official press release which takes a journey down memory lane highlighting some of the major milestones the 3DS captured over the past year.

[Via Nintendo] (Click here for more…)

On the 28th of February Sony announced sales figures for their latest console release the PS Vita. Following the powerful handheld’s December 17th launch in Japan and February 22 drop in North and Latin America, Europe, Singapore, and PAL territories, the house that built PlayStation “exceeded expectations surpassing over 1.2 million units worldwide,” according to a press release pasted in full after the break. The company also notes that software sales have surpassed 2 million units at both retail and on PlayStation Network.

Says Andrew House, President and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.: “PS Vita was designed to deliver the ultimate portable entertainment experience, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the reaction we’re seeing from consumers and the pace at which PS Vita is selling. The market has responded and there is clear demand for a mobile device capable of providing a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. To sustain momentum, we’re working closely with 3rd party developers and publishers to ensure the best games and franchises possible will be available on PS Vita, and our software line up for the remainder of 2012 will have something for everyone across the globe.”

Currently there are 25 titles available today for the PS Vita, and Sony says that 70 additional games are in development. Are you an early adopter? How do you rate the PS Vita so far? Sound off in the comments below.

[Via Joystiq] (Click here for more…)

Apple’s 2012 first quarter financial results are in and it’s reporting record breaking numbers here including highest quarterly revenue and earnings ever and all-time record sales for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Apple posted a $13.06 billion profit on $46.33 billion in revenue.  Compare this to one year ago, that’s up from a profit of $6 billion on $26.74 billion in revenue.  Says CEO Tim Cook: ”We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

Now let’s break it down by product category.  Apple sold 5.2 million Macs during the quarter (representing a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter); an impressive 37.04 million iPhones (representing a 128 percent unit growth); 15.43 million iPads (representing a 111 percent unit growth); and 15.4 million iPods (representing an 21 percent unit decline).

Other interesting facts to come out of the earnings call… Apple sold 1.4 million units of Apple TV, its designated “hobby” in the TV space; the company’s latest effort to revolutionize the education market has started off strong seeing over 600,000 downloads of iBooks Author from the Mac App Store; there are currently over 85 million people using Apple’s iCloud services; and CEO Tim Cook admitted this: “There is cannibalization of the Mac by the iPad, but we think there’s more cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad – we love that trend.” Oh snap, indeed.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer expects revenue of about $32.5 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.50.

[Via Apple; Engadget 1, 2, 3, 4]

The new year is just underway, and Nintendo wants to make sure the world knows how well they’re doing and how confident they are heading into 2012. In a gleeful press release, Ninty broke news that they sold more than 12 million total hardware units in the US  in 2011. It breaks down like this: 4.5 million units of Wii, more than 4 million Nintendo 3DS systems, and over 3.4 million units of the Nintendo DS family of systems were sold last year. Some calculations later, the current install base for Wii is 39 million and for Nintendo DS it’s over 51 million. The house that built Mario blames their recent successes on a strong software lineup. 3DS games Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have been crowned the fastest-selling titles in the history of their respective franchises when they launched. Additionally, Nintendo notes that they are now also the first 3DS games to sell 1 million units each in the US. Zelda also made an impact on the Wii; The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword became the 45th Wii game to sell over 1 million units in the States. And 2012 is already looking to be a solid year for Nintendo with highly anticipated games on the horizon; first-party titles from franchises such as Mario Party, Pokémon, and Kid Icarus as well as third party titles like Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom) and Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater (Konami) are coming soon. And of course, don’t forget that their next home console the Wii U is expected to launch later this year. Get the full debrief directly from Nintendo after the break.

[Via Nintendo] (Click here for more…)

Between September 8 and September 13, 1500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag sold on eBay. In total, the eBay auctions over that ten-day period raised $5,695,190.53; all proceeds are going to Michael J. Fox’s charity for Parkinson’s research. But it doesn’t end there. Remember that Google founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki have offered to match all donations to the Foundation up to $50 million through the end of 2012. With that taken into consideration, the grand total morphs into a whopping $11,390,381.10. What an impressive feat for sneakerheads, Back to the Future fans, and the Parkinson’s community!

The celebration doesn’t end here. It continues after the break where you’ll find four “official” Nike videos providing behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the shoe from the future. Now all we have to do is wait until 2015 when the real Nike Mag comes complete with auto-lacing.

[Via Stupiddope] (Click here for more…)

Since landing on store shelves November 4, Microsoft has sold 10 million Kinect sensors worldwide. In addition, Kinect drove significant game sales with more than 10 million standalone Kinect games sold worldwide to date. It’s true–the sensor does come bundled with a free game called Kinect Adventures; but notice that the company specifies so many standalone Kinect games have been sold, so they’re not cheating us with that number. Guinness World Records has stepped in to name Kinect for Xbox 360 the “fastest selling consumer electronics device.” We all saw this feat coming; 1 million sensors were sold during its first 10 days on the market and then over 2.5 million of them were reported to have been sold in 25 days. To say this motion accessory is a wild success is quite the understatement. Sony, your move.

[Via Engadget]

Now isn’t this curious news? According to the IDC, a market research and analysis firm, smartphone manufacturers pushed out 100.9 million units during the final quarter of 2010. Compare to this number of PCs sold during that same quarter: 92.1 million. For the first time ever, smartphones outsold traditional computers. Think about that for a second. Pretty crazy, huh? Alarming, no. With innovators like Apple, RIM, and HTC churning out mobile devices left and right, we all knew this day (erm, quarter) would come when the inevitable would strike. And don’t forget–phones are steadily evolving into pocketable computers now aren’t they?

The IDC provides us with more fun facts, if you’re interested. Smartphones shipped during Q4 2010 were up 87.2 percent from the 53.9 million smartphones shipped during the Q4 2009. They say Google’s mobile OS Android “continues to gain by leaps and bounds” and they call Nokia’s Symbian the market leader, interestingly enough. They calculate the top 5 (Q4 2010) smartphone vendors to be Nokia, Apple, RIM, Samsung, and HTC. On the PC front, they name HP, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, and Apple to be the top 5 (Q4 2010) PC vendors. Computer shipments rose by a meager 2.7 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. They say Apple’s iPad managed to stifle demand and competition and thusly constrain PC shipments.

[Via IDC, here & here; Engadget]

Microsoft has announced a new Kinect-specific update for Xbox 360 owners.  Here’s out the makers explain it: “With Avatar Kinect, you can control your avatar’s facial expression, head, and arm movements. As you talk, frown, smile, or scowl, your voice and facial expressions are enacted by your avatar, bringing your avatar to life!”  In other words, the update will give you a more detailed level of control over your avatar.  Right now the Kinect captures basic movements, such as arm flails, moving side-to-side, jumping, and ducking.  With Avatar Kinect, the sensor will be able to recognize a new slate of physical actions.  Microsoft is highlighting a virtual hangout where you can meet up with up to seven friends and converse with them using your avatars.  You’ll be able to select from 15 virtual environments.  Think of it as Wii’s Mii Plaza, except this space will allow for broader interaction (detailed avatar movements performed by you, voice support).  Avatar Kinect will hit Xbox 360s later this spring.  Look after the break to see it in action.

In related Kinect news… At CES 2011 Microsoft announced that they sold 8 million Kinect sensors worldwide during its first 60 days on the market; they sold 3 million more devices than they had predicted they would during that launch window.  More news… In a spring update, Hulu Plus will be joining Netflix, expanding users’ options when it comes to TV and movie content.  In addition, the two services will be Kinect-compatible.

[Via Xbox] (Click here for more…)

There’s no denying the popularity of Mr. West.  In just one week his latest outing My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy sold nearly half a million copies–496,000 to be exact, according to Nielsen SoundScan–and perched itself atop the Billboard 200 chart at the No. 1 spot.  Ye’s pursuit of perfection, along with rave reviews, certainly contributed to this impressive early sales figure.  Right behind him at the number 2 spot is female rapper Nicki Minaj; her debut album Pink Friday sold 375,000.  Pretty good start, wouldn’t you say?  Rounding out the top ten are Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, Jackie Evancho (O Holy Night), Rihanna (Loud), Justin Bieber (My Worlds Acoustic), My Chemical Romance (Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), Ne-Yo (Libra Scale), and Glee‘s Christmas album.  Look after the break to see the rest of the corresponding sales numbers.

[Via EW-MusicMix] (Click here for more…)

Last we heard out of the video game giants Sony had shipped 1 million Move controllers in one month, and Microsoft had sold 1 million Kinect sensors in ten days.  Post-Black Friday, the companies were eager to share the latest sales figures for these products.  As of November 2010 Sony has shipped over 4.1 million units worldwide, and Microsoft has sold over 2.5 million Kinect sensors globally in 25 days.  Now bear in mind that there’s a notable difference between units shipped and units sold.  Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not reporting actual sales results; instead they are reporting the number of units shipped to retailers.  A Sony rep says that the company won’t “disclose [their] exact sell-through number”, and that kind of chips away at their impressive and somewhat misleading stat.  Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the new motion peripherals are happily riding the Wii’s coattails this holiday season.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

Today Microsoft is happy to report that it sold one million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide during the product’s first ten days on store shelves.  Before the Kinect launched on November 4, Microsoft raised its worldwide sales forecast from 3 million to 5 million sensors sold by year-end; according to today’s official press release (which is posted after the break for your perusal) the company is still on pace to hit that higher mark before 2010 closes.  President of the Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick shares his excitement and reiterates what I just told you: “We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360.  This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”  I know what you’re thinking.  How does this compare to the PlayStation Move sales recently reported?  Well, it’s hard to say.  And that’s because Sony did not post units sold; rather they publicly announced that they shipped over one million units during the product’s first month on sale.  We’ll definitely have a better look at head-to-head sales figures when the companies decide to share post-holiday data.

[Via Joystiq] (Click here for more…)

The video games industry has done it again.  More specifically, Activition has pushed out another Call of Duty game that has managed to break launch day records and become the biggest entertainment launch in history.  Call of Duty: Black Ops garnered $360 million during its first day on sale in the United States and United Kingdom, according to internal Activision estimates.  This sales figure beats out MW2 which generated $310 million almost exactly one year ago.  5.6 million copes of Black Ops were sold on day one, topping MW2‘s 4.2 million copies sold.

Says Activision CEO Bobby Kotick: “There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million.  The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet.  The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis.”

Yes, that feeling of speechlessness is normal.  Wowzers.

[Via Activision; Joystiq]

The suits at Sony have something to smile about.  Today the company reported having shipped 1 million PlayStation Move controllers in North and Latin America in the first 30 days of availability.  SCEA CEO Jack Tretton is enthused to say the least.  “Retail demand is incredibly strong and we’re working hard to keep the product in stock”, he said.  “We believe consumers have already shown their preference for a precise, interactive game experience.  We are on target to meet our end of year goals and expect sales to increase as our publishers and developers continue to update popular titles and introduce new games.”  This is certainly great news for Sony, but Joystiq makes a solid point when they say this announcement does not help you figure the precise install base of the new motion controller.  Many PS3 owners likely purchased more than one Move for two-hand and multiplayer functionality.  Still, this does not take away the fact that Sony has something powerful in their (er, our) hands.  Right now there’s 24 Move-supported titles out, with 17 more promised before the year runs out.  I gotta get my Move on.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Joystiq] (Click here for more…)

On Saturday, April 3 Apple sold over 300,000 iPads.  According to the official PR, these sales include ”deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners [Best Buy/Apple Authorized Resellers], and sales at Apple Retail Stores.  In addition, iPad users downloaded over 1 millon apps from the App Store and over 250,000 eBooks from the iBookstore that day.  Impressive!  Steve Jobs had this today about launch day: “It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it’s going to be a game changer.  iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”  Keep in mind that the WiFi+3G iPad does not release until “late-April.”  This second launch will certainly rack up high sales figures, too.  Can’t you feel the magic in the air?

[Via Apple]