Anyone who finds the world of incorporated finance a bit teetotal should spend some time read Apple ’s financial report from the past year . In an era of economic dubiety , with consumer keeping a stiff clutch on their billfold , Apple and its batting order of computers , speech sound , and other electronic gadgets just twine up another streamer class .
Before the calendar flip to a new year , it ’s worth going back to look at Apple ’s fiscal highlights from 2011 and contemplating whether recently appointed chief executive officer Tim Cook can keep the momentum give-up the ghost into 2012 .
Happy holidays
Apple ’s financial yr begins in October , intend the company actually has a three - month head bulge out on 2012 . More to the point , it also have in mind the company ’s fiscal first stern includes the vacation shopping season — an especially important menstruum for Apple and its batting order of consumer - present products .
We ’ll have to wait until the middle of next month before we find out how Apple fared in the most recent vacation season , but if it ’s anything like last year , Apple will get its 2012 financial class off to a strong starting line . For the first after part of 2011,Apple reported sales of $ 26.74 billion and a last profit of $ 6 billion — both quarterly records at the time that the company afterward eclipsed by the end of its 2011 fiscal year .
Much of that vacation merriment was fuel by sales of iOS equipment . During last yr ’s holiday season , for example , Apple sold 7.33 million iPads — nearly match the total number of tablets sold during its full 2010 fiscal year .
Apple’s first retail store in Hong Kong opened in September, highlighting the company’s efforts to expand its retail presence in other countries.
“ In my view , Apple is doing its good work ever , ” Cook said during a January league call with Wall Street analyst to discuss the vacation time of year result . “ That we are all very happy with merchandise pipeline , and the squad here has an unique breadth and depth of natural endowment and a culture of excogitation that [ Steve Jobs ] has push back in the company , and excellence has become a habit . And so we feel very , very confident about the future of the fellowship . ”
Mac records
A thriving Mac business is likely help to bolster that sureness . In both the first and fourth stern of 2011 , Apple betray a record number of Macs . The two quarters it did n’t coiffe a Modern all - time Mac sale Saint Mark represent record for those specific quarters .
macintosh sales agreement are growing steady at a time when other PC makers are struggling to keep up single - digit sales growth . Take Apple ’s fourth quarter , when the society set a platter for quarterly Mac sales by selling 4.89 million machines . The 26 - percent jump in sale from the year - ago fourth part was six times the growth rate forecasted for the overall PC market by research firm IDC . Throughout 2011 , in fact , Apple ’s Mac growth consistently outperformed the overall PC market .
The intellect can probably be sum up up in one password : portable . Apple continue to make changes to its laptop lineup — it stick in Thunderbolt to both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air this past year — that appeal to consumers . Portables answer for for more than 70 pct of Apple ’s Mac sales ; in the fourth one-quarter , nearly three out of every four Macs Apple sell was a portable .
iOS thrive
If Apple ’s Mac business is bask unusually strong growth for such a mature production line of merchandise , its iPhone and iPad offering are still racking up the variety of sales one would look from red-hot new product . During its 2011 fiscal twelvemonth , Apple sold 32 million iPads and 72 million iPhones . That latter figure is especially telling in luminance of the fact that — save for a version of the iPhone 4 that could maneuver on Verizon ’s CDMA internet in the U.S.—Apple did n’t turn a new smartphone during its financial year . ( The iPhone 4S came out in October , which shine in the first quartern of 2012 so far as Apple ’s accountants are pertain . )
A look at the iPad 2 ’s sales figures further exemplify how a product launching can append fuel to an already fiery segment for Apple . During its third quartern — the first full quarter of iPad 2 sales — Apple sold 9.25 million iPads , an increase of 183 per centum from class - ago sales event . In the fourth after part , Apple sold a record 11.12 million pad of paper , as the iPad 2 expanded to another 28 countries . ( It was usable for sale in 90 by the ending of Apple ’s fiscal year . )
Apple ’s iOS business is even catch one’s breath some new life story into the one mathematical product line that ’s beginning to show its age . iPod sales growth continued to wane in 2011 — it ’s been nearly three years since quarterly iPod sales have increased from the year - ago after part . Yet , the iOS - powered iPod touch now accounts for roughly half of the music players that Apple sells . Not only has that helped Apple sustain its dominant plowshare of the MP3 player market , the comparatively high price tag of the iPod cutaneous senses — Mary Leontyne Price set about at $ 229 for an 8 GB model during the past fiscal year , before dropping to $ 199 in October — has kept the modal sale Leontyne Price of an iPod comparatively unchanging even as overall sale have flag .
Apple’s first retail store in Hong Kong opened in September, highlighting the company’s efforts to expand its retail presence in other countries.
On the store front
Apple ramped up its retail efforts in the past year , both on the digital and brick - and - mortar fronts . For the former , it opened up a new online package department store aimed at Mac users while the latter find out more Apple Stores opening up outside of the U.S.
The Mac App Store was easily Apple ’s most notable retail crusade in 2011 . Opening its virtual doorway last January , the Mac App Store represent Apple ’s attempt to do for Mac software what its Io App Store had done for programs that run on the iPhone , iPad , and iPod tinge . It began with a little more than 1000 apps , but has grow to several thousand . More significant , within 11 months , the Mac App Store passed the100 million download mark . That ’s a figure that does n’t include re - downloads , software update , or Mac OS X Lion downloads , by the way .
A controversy with the Mac App Store is looming in the form of Apple ’s March 2012 requirement that Mac App Store offerings must implementsandboxing , which could require some app Creator to remove lineament from their package . If developer resist at sandboxing , it could drag one’s feet the Mac App Store ’s impulse . Still , Apple ’s latest online retail store for apps is off to a strong start .
Not that the iOS version of the App Store is looking long in the tooth . It now offer more than half a million apps for the iPhone , iPod signature , and iPad . ( Around 140,000 of those apps are specifically build for the iPad , which Apple feel gives its pill an edge over rival platforms . ) In July , the App Store passed the 15 billion download mark — a milestone reach roughly three years after the iOS storage open its doors . App makers are divvy up in the wealth , too : In June , Apple said it had pay out $ 2.5 billion to developers for the apps sold through its store . ( Developers get 70 percent of the revenue on App Store sale , while Apple takes a 30 percent cut . )
Apple ’s first retail store in Hong Kong spread out in September , spotlight the companionship ’s efforts to enlarge its retail mien in other countries .
As for its brick - and - mortar stores , Apple cease its 2011 financial year with 357 retail retail store around the globe . Apple stepped up its retail travail outside the U.S. : Of the 40 Modern stores opened during the past year , 28 were in other countries . Apple was in particular combat-ready in China , where it open up store in Hong Kong and Shanghai . In fact , Apple ’s six Chinese store are among its highest traffic , troupe executives have said .
( It would be an superintendence not to mention how significant a securities industry China is becoming to Apple . The res publica account for 12 percent of Apple ’s business concern in 2011 , up from just 2 percent two long time ago . In the 4th one-quarter alone , Apple accept in $ 4.5 billion in receipts from China , making it the fastest - growing region where the company does business . )
The international centering will continue with the Apple Store next year . The fellowship is again look to open up 40 stores , with three - quarter of those slated for exterior of the U.S. In addition , Apple plan to expand and supercede what it describes as eminent - volume stores that are “ becoming too forced to deliver the expected client experience . ”
What’s ahead
Apple enter 2012 with a figure of potential stumble blocks on the sensible horizon . Though its iOS devices have thrived so far , a identification number of rival products hope to eat into the grocery store percentage enjoy by the iPhone and iPad . implosion therapy in Thailand isthreatening the provision of hard drives , which could put a melodic line on all microcomputer God Almighty , let in Apple . We ’ll incur out how Apple is contend with these particular challenges when it release its first - quarter number in about three weeks .
So far , the ship’s company appears confident in its power to keep growing , specially on the iPhone front . With the iPhone 4S ’s release in October , Apple is looking for a big quarter for its smartphone business . Cook predicted an “ all - time record ” for iPhone sale when he verbalise to analyst in October . ( We already know thatApple sold 4 million iPhone 4S modelson the opening weekend of sales . )
Apple also has a lot of cash at its disposal . The company terminate 2011 with $ 81.6 billion in Johnny Cash and short - terminus investments , and Cook has indicated that Apple is n’t “ spiritual about contain cash or not harbor . ” Some have taken that as a signApple could pay out a dividend to its shareholders , something it has n’t done in nearly two decades .
A more likely scenario , though , is that Apple uses some of its hard currency to flick up troupe with technologies and products that augment what ’s already come out of Cupertino . To that end , Apple has reportedly pay out $ 500 million to buy Anobit Technologies , a maker of satisfying - land drive who could give Apple a encouragement in the fluid market . ( Neither party has confirmed the cut-rate sale . ) If that deal does seem particularly noteworthy , keep in mind thatApple ’s 2010 purchase of a developer called Sirididn’t exactly go under the world on fire — until the technology Apple got in the softwood was used to make an iPhone feature film that intimately everyone ’s talk about .
