Following the release of Apple's third fiscal quarter earlier today the company held a conference call for media and analysts. Below is a list of notes from the conference call.
- 4% year-over-year Mac unit growth (4% quarterly decrease)
- Notebooks make up two thirds of all Mac sales
- iPod sales down 4% year-over-year, channel inventory reduced by 400,000 units
- Saw decline in sales of iPod classic
- 50% of recent iPod purchasers are buying their first iPod, including in traditional strong iPod countries
- iPod touch sales grew 134% year-over-year
- Unable to keep up with iPhone 3GS demand
- Last week Apple saw the 8 billionth song puchased and downloaded from iTunes
- Around 50% of Mac sales still to switchers
- Retail stores saw 22% increase in visitors year-over-year
- Stock of low-end MacBook models constrained
- K12 sales weak, expected to be down to low budgets
- $99 iPhone 3G saw sales increase significantly
- iPod touch expected to grow significantly in Q4
- Component pricing rising in many areas but Apple intends to be competitive
- 1.83 million iPhone units in inventory
- Apple remains a debt-free company
- $2.3 billion in cash flow in Q3
- 258 Apple Stores now open; average of 254 stores open during the quarter, $5.9 million per store
- iPhone 3GS currently in 18 countries
- Apple's goal is to build the best computers in the world
- Apple has pre-paid $500 million to Toshiba to secure NAND flash supplies
- In last quarter Apple shipped a new version of the most advanced mobile operating system (iPhone OS) with an install base of 45 million
- Goal is not to build the most computers but the best computers
- Unable to work out how to build a computer for the netbook market
- Many cheap netbooks are slow, small displays, cramped keyboards and Apple thinks people won't be happy with such products
- Apple want to build product they're proud of
- iPhone in China continues to be a priority project and wishes to be in the country within a year