Apple Unveils Record Second Quarter Sales

Apple has announced a second quarter net profit of $11.6bn - thanks to record sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The company posted quarterly revenue of $39.2bn, compared to $24.7bn for the same period last year when its net profit was $6bn.

Gross margin was 47.4% compared to 41.4%, with international sales accounting for almost two-thirds (64%) of the total revenue.

Apple sold a record 35.1 million iPhones during the quarter, an increase of 88%, and 11.8m iPads - up 151% on 12 months before.

Mac sales were up 7% at four million - but at 7.7 million, iPod sales were down 15%.

"We're thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.

"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."

Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer added: "Our record March quarter results drove $14bn in cash flow from operations.

"Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34bn and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68."