Apple has just released the fourth quarter earnings report for fiscal year 2009. The report can be read here and will be discussed in detail on the upcoming earnings call with Wall Street analysts.

The big news? Apple once again beat the Street with $1.82 EPS against an expectation of $1.65 EPS! More good news will be coming soon.

Also big news:
"Apple sold 3.05 million Macintosh® computers during the quarter, representing a 17 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 10.2 million iPods during the quarter, representing an eight percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter, representing seven percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. "

Be sure to join in on our liveblog of the call, coming up at about 4:50 PM EDT today.

In yesterday's earnings announcement and subsequent analysts' call, Apple reported another record-breaking quarter; the company posted its "best non-holiday quarter [in terms of] revenue and earnings." This is pretty impressive given, as Engadget points out, what some consider the "worst recession since the Great Depression." Specifically, Apple's books (not that kind) are reporting revenues of $8.34 billion with a take-away profit of $1.3 billion; the bump from the year-ago quarter in earnings per diluted share takes us from $1.19/share in Q3'08 to $1.35 in Q3'09.

In the midst of these impressive numbers, Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer is optimistic. Apple is expecting revenue in the range of $8.7 billion to $8.9 billion for the current quarter, forecasting an increase in Mac sales as we enter the back-to-school shopping season. This is a safe bet, given Apple's "best ever" line of current MacBooks. For Q3'09 Apple sold 2.6 million Macs -- 1.75M of them were laptops, per Macworld -- representing a 4% increase in units sold over the year-ago quarter. The laptop rush continues to swing the balance of Apple's CPU sales towards the MacBook Pro line; laptop units sold jumped 13% year over year, while desktop sales dropped almost 100K units (849K vs. 943K) against Q3'09.

Ignoring the subscription-based accounting methodologies for both iPhone and Apple TV, Apple's non-GAAP revenue was a staggering $9.74 billion with net income of $1.94 billion. In order to allow for future free updates to the products, Apple uses subscription based accounting for iPhone and Apple TV; revenue from iPod touch & iPod, Macs, software and accessories is fully recognized when the products are sold. This approach "parcels out income from iPhone and Apple TV sales over a 24-month period."

Apple also sold 10.2 million iPods and 5.2 million iPhones, representing a 7% decline and 626% increase over the year-ago quarter. This fact is significant because the decrease in iPod sales indicates that the iPhone is now cannibalizing its older siblings in the "traditional" (shuffle, nano, and classic) family of iPods. Apple is also quick to point out that the entire market for traditional MP3 players is declining.

While the increase in iPhone sales does seem quite impressive, it is worth noting that the iPhone is available in many more countries than it was a year ago (although the 3GS is only in 18 of the 80 markets so far). I would be interested in knowing if iPhone sales increased domestically or if these numbers are completely driven by international success. Another interesting metric will be to compare iPhone sales this quarter to sales in Q3'10. With a similar sampling of countries the numbers should make for a better comparison. Although, I will go ahead and jump the rumor-gun and say I think that next year's iPhone is going to be a bigger improvement vs. the current model, as compared to the 3GS vs. the 3G; for this reason iPhone sales will continue to increase.

Again the question of netbooks was presented and again Apple suggests that the netbook is currently a sub-standard computing platform with a poor user experience. If we consider that Apple had at one time said they were not doing a video iPod, then it is pretty likely that an Apple netbook is in our future.

Apple's third-quarter results are very strong and the stock is up substantially in early trading today. This should be great news for anyone holding any AAPL in their portfolio especially given the close for Q2'09 was a mere $121.51. I think Apple is doing a great job and as an investor myself, I am pleased with the results -- as is the rest of Wall Street.

Apple's earnings report came out just a few minutes ago, and the conference call is coming right up! Join us for the liveblog below as we follow along through the conference call.

There's nothing quite as fun as an Apple earnings call!

Along with a lot of financial gobbledygook, disclaimers, and carefully-phrased "forward-looking statements", there are also pointed questions from top financial analysts. On occasion, Apple may even bring forth Steve Jobs to enliven the call.

Today is the day for Apple's 3rd quarter 2009 earnings call. Our very own Mike Rose will be leading the team on a liveblog of the event before rushing off to a Wednesday appearance on Fox Business News, where he holds the title of "The Unofficial Apple Analyst." You can also listen in on the festivities, as Apple will be streaming audio of the event.

The liveblog via CoverItLive will begin here on TUAW at approximately 5 PM EDT, so be sure to join us for the call.

It's been a nice year for Apple so far. Stock prices have been steadily rising since January, outpacing a middling technology market. Apple is poised to reach a stock price it hasn't seen since August, 2008. And this particular quarter has seen a lot of Apple news and activity: the new iPhone 3GS was released this quarter with an associated 1 million device sales in the first weekend alone, the MacBook line received a refresh and a price cut, and Apple reported that application downloads on iTunes reached the 1.5 billion mark. Plus, let's not forget that Steve-O (ostensibly) returned to work in June.

Apple appears to have weathered the Palm Pre assault with considerable fortitude, and the iPhone in all its iterations now commands more than 10% of the smartphone market.

So what are experts predicting for Apple tomorrow? For starters, above-average revenue. Among well-regarded Wall Street analysts (take that for what it's worth) the top estimate is by Mark Moskovitz of J.P. Morgan, predicting 8.49B in revenue, with earnings per share (EPS) of $1.23. Lowest is Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, who is predicting "only" 8B in revenue. But all revenue estimates are above the guidance numbers released by Apple itself, which put revenue at 7.9B. The Thomson Financial consensus (an average of all predicted reports) puts revenue at 8.18B. Everybody is in agreement that Apple's gross margins, which were 36.4% last quarter, are the envy of the market.

Trading is brisk today, and stock prices are rising in expectation of tomorrow's positive announcement. Apple's announcement will occur at 5pm EST Tuesday. Check back for TUAW's report. It will be very interesting to see how well Apple does.

Although overall shipments for Macs are at an 18-month low , worldwide numbers continue to climb. Macworld UK pointed to a Gartner study evaluating UK PC shipments for the first quarter of 2009. Apple has moved up, joining the top five PC manufacturers in terms of units shipped for the first time.

According to Gartner, Apple shipped 143 thousand units in the UK the first quarter of 2009, accounting for 4.8% marketshare. That represents a 6.6% growth year over year, which is in sharp contrast to the 5.1 percent decrease in the overall UK PC market.

At 4.8 percent, Apple is still a relatively small player -- the number four manufacturer, Toshiba, shipped nearly twice as many units -- but these numbers prove that Apple adoption is remaining strong, regardless of the economy.

The figures that will probably get the most play in the non-Mac press are those from Acer, the number three manufacturer in the UK. Acer's year-over-year growth in terms of units shipped was up a whopping 40.6%, due in large part to its price-conscious netbook offerings.

Apple and Acer approach the PC market from opposite ends of the spectrum; Acer goes for high-volume, low-margin sales, Apple does high-margin, lower-volume, yet both companies are succeeding in an industry that is declining worldwide.

What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that despite Microsoft's quips, price doesn't necessarily dictate market share.

TechCrunch's Michael Arrington is reporting that rumors beginning to float around the blogosphere are stating that Apple is interested in purchasing Twitter for US$700 million in cash. Twitter, in case you've been off of the planet for the last two years, is the magical "social networking" tool that has you answer the question "What am I doing right now?" in 140 characters or less.

Twitter currently has more than 25 million users, and it is rumored that growth has been exploding since Oprah blessed the service with her presence in mid-April. However, despite the size and growth potential of Twitter, there's simply no compelling reason for Apple to spend part of its huge cash reserves to purchase the company.

Google recently tried to purchase Twitter, but was turned down by Twitter's CEO Evan Williams. Today's rumor comes from a "normally reliable source" who told Arrington that "Apple is in late-stage negotiations to buy Twitter and is hoping to announce it at WWDC in June."

Despite the popularity of Twitter, the service hasn't figured out a way to make a profit, and is strictly powered by venture capital at this point. Can any TUAW readers think of a reason why Apple should buy Twitter? Leave us a comment!

Today was a landmark day for the good ol' boys (and girls) at 1 Infinite Loop as they again posted record-breaking quarterly results. Profit was a svelte $1.21 billion for a grand total of $8.16 billion in revenue; or, as the guys in Wallstreet see it: $1.33 per diluted share. All of this is apparently good news as after-hours trading has shares of AAPL up about 4 points from the days close of $121.51. If you haven't already, you can check out some of our highlights of what drove those numbers as well as the full press release from Apple here. Also, MacJournals did a fantastic job covering the call via their Twitter feed, which can be found here.

One continuing theme through the course of the call was the economy's overall effect on Apple's numbers. One noticeable effect was that professional and education sales were down during the March quarter. Even with the release of an entirely refreshed line of Mac desktops, the quarter saw an overall decrease in Mac marketshare. It wasn't all bad for Apple, however, as iPod sales (particularly the iPod Touch) were up enough to seemingly offset the bulk of the lagging Mac sales.

While the results themselves are always nice to hear, the most interesting section of the quarterly call is the question and answer section that follows. The answers, while somewhat scripted, give the listeners a chance to hear Apple execs think and speak on their feet regarding Apple's results and plans for the future.

One of the more notable topics during this discussion was Apple's opinion on the netbook market. Tim Cook took the question and in an answer that was truly Apple said, that netbooks are "junky ... not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on," while quickly following-up with a good, old-fashioned "If we can find a way to deliver an innovative product ... then we'll do that." If you remember the days before the video iPod, then this conversation should be very familiar to you. For a good overview of the Q&A check out MacRumors' excellent post on the subject.

If you don't care about the financial results and have grown tired of hearing Apple dance around whether they're going to release a netbook, then there is at least one bright spot in all of this. According Peter Oppenheimer, Apple is pleasantly awaiting the joyous return of Steve Jobs in June (we miss you Steve). I don't think anyone was really expecting any more or less information than that, but here's to hoping Stevie J. returns and brings with him all-new iPhones, netbooks, and pots of gold.

Overall, the results were very positive for a company that deals in "luxury" products given the current economic climate. I hope that in the future Apple continues to succeed and that this is the last quarter we hear of in which Apple loses marketshare to anyone.

[Via Engadget, MacRumors, and MacJournals]

Apple released its second quarter earnings today, posting revenues of $8.16 billion, a profit of $1.21 billion ($1.33 per share). This includes sales of:

• 2.22 million Macs
• 11.01 million iPods
• 3.79 million iPhones
  

During the conference call, it was reported that Apple is just hours away from selling its billionth app through the App Store. Approximately 37 million iPhone and iPod Touch units sold altogether.

Update (5:37 p.m.): There are plans to bring the iPhone to China within the next year. It was also reported that Steve Jobs is expected to make a return to his duties at the end of June.

The press release detailing the earnings is below the fold.

Welcome one and all for TUAW's coverage of Apple's First Quarter 2009 Results Conference Call. If you haven't already, you can go start the audio stream available on Apple's website. You'll need QuickTime 6 or 7 installed (Mac users should already have it, and Windows users get it with the iTunes install).

Update: The call has ended. AAPL is up over seven points in after-hours trading.

Click on through to view the transcript!

Above the fold headline: Apple blew by the analyst estimates again. Conference call coming up!
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Apple Reports First Quarter Results

Best Quarterly Revenue and Earnings in Apple History

iPod Sales Set New Record

CUPERTINO, California-January 21, 2009-Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 first quarter ended December 27, 2008. The Company posted record revenue of $10.17 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion, or $1.78 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $9.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.58 billion, or $1.76 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, equal to the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter's revenue.

In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhone™ and Apple TV® over their economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the quarter are $11.8 billion of "Adjusted Sales" and $2.3 billion of "Adjusted Net Income."

Apple sold 2,524,000 Macintosh® computers during the quarter, representing nine percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold a record 22,727,000 iPods during the quarter, representing three percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone units sold were 4,363,000, representing 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter.

"Even in these economically challenging times, we are incredibly pleased to report our best quarterly revenue and earnings in Apple history-surpassing $10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time ever," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.

"Our outstanding results generated over $3.6 billion in cash during the quarter," said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO. "Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2009, we expect revenue in the range of about $7.6 billion to $8 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share in the range of about $.90 to $1.00."

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2009 financial results conference call utilizing QuickTime®, Apple's standards-based technology for live and on-demand audio and video streaming. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on January 21, 2009 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq109/ and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

Mark your calendars: Apple plans to conduct its first-quarter conference call on Wednesday, January 21 at 5 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Pacific). Apple executives will discuss the company's financial performance over the last quarter, and give their guidance as to how the next quarter is shaping up.

Audio from the conference call will be broadcast via QuickTime. When the time comes, you can visit this page and listen in. (Bonus: Check out the old QuickTime Player screenshot in the "Q1-2009" graphic.)

In Apple's last conference call, CEO Steve Jobs joined in the fun -- a rarity -- to discuss sales, margins, cash reserves, and Apple's competition.

Prepare for plenty of hyperbole and chipper "forward-looking statements" -- as well as dialtone to dialtone coverage from us here at TUAW. Be sure to check back on the 21st.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

Yesterday, Apple released a proxy statement detailing the financial compensation that executives enjoy as part of their participation on the board of directors.

Steve Jobs retained his $1 salary for 2008, but has over 5.5 million shares of Apple stock, which is worth over $500 million on paper. Jobs is worth about $5.7 billion, thanks largely to the fact that he's Disney's largest individual shareholder. Fidelity Investments continues to be Apple's largest investor with over 46 million shares of stock.

There are five shareholder proposals up for voting this time around:

• Proposal 1 asks to re-elect the board of directors, consisting of Steve Jobs, William Campbell, Millard Drexler, Al Gore, Andrea Jung, Arthur Levinson, Eric Schmidt, and Jerry York.
• Proposal 2 asks for more transparency surrounding Apple's political contributions.
• Proposal 3 asks the company to adopt a statement supporting universal health care for everyone, and not just employees.
• Proposal 4 asks the company to release a report on corporate strategies surrounding climate change and greenhouse gas emissions before July.
• Proposal 5 asks to adopt a policy that gives shareholders more input on executive compensation. (Thanks, Scott!)

The board of directors, perhaps not surprisingly, recommends approving the first proposal, and rejecting the other four.

The proxy statement is available from Apple's Investor Relations website, and will not be mailed to shareholders unless requested.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

I've been using Mint.com (not to be confused with Shawn Inman's great Mint web stats tracker) to track my financial information for a while now. It's very nice -- completely free, and hooks right into your bank accounts, investments, or other financial accounts online (securely, of course -- they've got over 7,500 institutions in the system) to let you know what you're spending, when, and where. I'm lazy when it comes to budgets, but Mint will automatically make budgets for you based on what you spent the month before, so I can see if my groceries, bus fare, or, ahem, iPhone app budgets go over one month.

And now they're released an iPhone app, so you can have access to all of that information on the go. It's pretty much a portable Mint -- you've got all of your usual account information, alerts are pushed off onto their own screen, so you can see at a glance where you're overspending, and you can flip through and see your expenses for the month, where your cash is going, and any budgets you've programmed into Mint. The app is quick and easy to use -- like Mint.com, but in the palm of your hand. It's free and on the App Store right now (though of course you have to set yourself up on their website first).

One security issue: the app wisely recommends that if you don't have a passcode on your phone already, you put one on it, since your financial information will be available to anyone using your phone. The Mint.com folks also tell us that you can disable iPhone app access from their website, so even if you do lose your phone, you can keep unwanted users from reaching your information. But as with everything, there's a tradeoff of convenience and security -- while it's helpful to have this information anywhere you are, the flip side is that it's that much more likely to fall into the wrong hands.

Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog has the skinny on why Japan is so hot on Apple lately -- apparently Steve Jobs' little company has seen sales rise 39% in the land of the rising sun, even after a drop the last year.

Why is this? Apple's own report says iPods, Macs, and MacBooks are the culprits -- sales of Macs specifically are jumping up the charts. At the same time, reports are saying that sales of the iPhone have slowed there after a big burst at debut (while sales here are still through the roof).

Seems like there's an upsurge on American electronics in Japan in general. Any of you armchair analysts want to guess why Apple is doing better there?