Apple’s three-monthly profits hit $8.2bn

The on-going strength of iPad and iPhone has propelled Apple to yet another quarter of astonishing profits.

Total profits for the last financial quarter hit $8.2bn – up from $6.6bn the year before. Revenues climbed 27 per cent to $36bn.

Year to date profit is up 45 per cent at $41.7bn with revenues up 61 per cent at $156.5bn.

iPhone sales exceeded expectations, reaching 26.9m units for the period. That’s up from 17.07m in the same quarter in 2011.

iPad sales came in below some expectations at 14m units. That’s a 25.9 per cent year-on-year gain that, despite being impressive, is significantly down on the 166 per cent gain seen in the comparable 2011 period.

Although the iPad sales were a disappointment to some financial analysts, but Apple put the number down to the persistent rumours about the iPad Mini, which was finally revealed earlier this week.

"We were happy with the 14 million iPad sales in the quarter. It exceeded our expectations," Apple finance director Peter Oppenheimer insisted. "But as the summer went on, the rumours were pretty rampant about the iPhone and iPad."