Wait. I think I have something in my eye.
**rub**rub**
Nope. Still there. Those words are still there. But let me back up.
Turns out that this June quarter has been the best June quarter in Apple history, pimping gross revenue of $7.46bn and a net quarterly profit of $1.07bn. Compare that against $5.41bn gross and $818m profit this time last year, and that spells big paper, yo.
More numbers? How about 11,011,000 iPods sold during this quarter. That’s eleven million iPods in three months, or 12% unit growth over the same period last year. iPhone sales? 717,000 sold this past quarter, compared to 270,000 last year. And then The Steve dropped the quote of all quotes:
We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with
our new iPhone 3G, and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new
products to launch in the coming months.
Did you see that? Those words, “…wonderful new products to launch in the coming months.” That’s Steve Jobs flat out spilling the beans that there will be new products launching soon. Steve never — never talks about future releases. Ever. Apple has scrupulously been quite possibly the hardest rumour nut to crack in the history of tech companies — you’d have an easier time pulling hen’s teeth than getting The Steve to confirm or deny even the tiniest of rumours. And now here he goes just blurting it out right there on the table.
Is he placating investors? Maybe. But The Steve knows the power of hype. He uses it masterfully to spur the blogosphere to spin rumours en masse and build anticipation to a fever pitch. But rumours have to be built on something, and apart from the next iPod revisions, no one yet has any clue what else they might be up to — nor has anyone reason to believe they’re up to anything.
Until now. Now he’s dropped a tantalizing but perfectly vague statement talking of new products. And there is absolutely no doubt that this single statement will now become the nucleation site from which pages upon pages of rumours will now bubble up to the surface. A new convertible tablet Macbook? A new rethink on the iPod? Some other as-yet unimagined device? Oh, the possibilities that the blogosphere will dream up between now and the next Apple Event.
Please remember to remain seated and keep your hands inside the ride at all times.
(via Apple)
