Apple has announced its fiscal fourth quarter results, showing revenues were up to $51.5bn (33.3bn) and profits at $11.1bn (7.26bn).
The key winner in Apple's product lineup was unsurprisingly the iPhone, with sales increasing by 23 per cent year-on-year (39 million iPhones sold in the fourth quarter of 2014 versus 48 million sold in the fourth quarter of 2015), which was attributed both to the introduction of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus earlier in China and people increasingly migrating from Android to iOS. However, the numbers were still slightly lower than the 48.7 million sales analysts predicted.
Another key performer was the company's 'other products' category, which includes the Apple Watch, iPod and Apple TV. Revenues in this category hit $3 billion (1.96 billion), which represents an increase year-on-year of 61 per cent. This is expected to increase further during the Christmas period, as people are likely to buy the accessory for their loved ones.
Mac sales were also up, with revenues increases from a smidgen over $6 billion (3.92 billion) last quarter to $6.9 billion (4.5bn) this quarter. Unit sales jumped to 5.7 million, up onemillion units compared to last quarter and 200,000 compared to the same quarter last year.
However, iPads weren't as popular in the last quarter, with sales down from 10.9m to 9.8m. However, the iPad Pro is due to launch next month, so it could mean the first fiscal quarter of 2016 shows an increase in iPad sales.
Although the general news is good for the company, with a revenue increase of 21 per cent year-on-year, it shows slowing growth, which should be a key concern for Apple. It now has the challenge of keeping up momentum in the most important quarter of the year - the Christmas period - which is traditionally the strongest three months in the company's calendar.
It's not all doom and gloom though - the quarter's results had an encouraging impact on the company's overall growth for its fiscal year 2015, which has just ended.
"Fiscal 2015 was Apple's most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28 per cent to nearly $234 billion. This continued success is the result of our commitment to making the best, most innovative products on earth, and it's a testament to the tremendous execution by our teams," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
"We are making great strides in the enterprise market ... [and] We estimate that enterprise markets accounted for about $25 billion in annual Apple revenue in the last 12 months, up 40 per cent over the prior year and they represent a major growth factor for the future."
"We are heading into the holidays with our strongest product lineup yet, including iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch with an expanded lineup of cases and bands, the new iPad Pro and the all-new Apple TV which begins shipping this week," Cook concluded.
