The Apple Tree Grows, Awesome Q4 Results, Outsells RIM

As Apple started in the State Of The Mac by Tim Cook during Apple’s latest media event, the company has been quick to point out their massive growth and which has increased 2 to 3 times the Industry. Apple’s quarter 4 conference call not only further cemented Apple’s growth but also proved the company can withstand economic downturns by shifting emphasis to the iPhone.

The App Store has also proven successful for Apple and tomorrow will mark the 200 Millionth sale which has fast outpaced music sales on the iTunes Store. Only 50 Million Apps were sold by the end of August and sales are expected to increase as over 5,500 Apps are available on the store.

Apple Dominates RIM

RIM and other manufacturers that employ Windows Mobile on their handsets have been Apple’s main competitors in the Smartphone segment. However, Apple has pulled in strong and has surpassed their goal of 10 Million iPhones sold in 2008 by selling 6.9 Million handsets worldwide. Many of those purchases came from newcomers interested in the handset. This increased interest was enough to persuade buyers from purchasing Blackberries as RIM saw only 6.1 Million phones sold which places Apple as the third largest phone supplier if revenue is factored in.

In addition, Apple said profits rose 26% to 1.14 billion dollars this quarter. Sales in America accounted for 1,121,00 shipments followed by Europe with 611,000. These figures were an increase of 22% and 29% year over year respectively.

Other Highlights From The Conference Call

Apple smashed previous records and sold 2.6 Million Macs this quarter. Out of those sales figures, Notebook sales were nearly double of Desktops with 1,675,000 over 936,000 but altogether, account for a little less than 50 percent of Apples total revenue. Another tidbit worth noting was Steve Jobs further commenting on the Netbook category saying Apple had some “interesting ideas” should these miniaturized Laptops become popular amongst consumers.

However, the iPhone was quickly reinforced as an unofficial entry into Netbook computing as it accomplishes the same tasks but in a smaller form factor. Tablet Macs and any other manifestations of the Mac were dismissed under the premise of being unable to comment on future products.

Apple’s iPod and iTunes businesses have performed just as well. 11,052,000 iPods shipped during this quarter and added a generous $1.678 Billion in revenue which was a 3% increase. The iPod has nearly become the De Facto in the mobile media player business by having over 70% of the market share in the US while growth increases in Japan, Germany, France, Australia and Canada.

Not much else was mentioned about the AppleTV besides an emphasis being placed on its hobby status which was unlikely to change going into 2009.

Other Financial Statements

Apple announced a move to non-GAAP accounting in order to account for the dizzying amount of revenue being generated from the iPhone and to provide a more accurate bearing on gross margins and revenue. So far, Apple has pocketed $28.2 Billion in the bank with no debt whatsoever. Steve Jobs has stated that this gives Apple “extraordinary opportunities” and could give the company massive leverage in acquisitions.

Next quarter Apple is aiming for a revenue range of $9 to $10 Billion with $1.06 to $1.35 per diluted share. Gross margins will stay on track hovering near 31%.