However, Apple warned that growth is likely to slow down significantly in the crucial Christmas period, and sales of the iPad fell by a fifth to their lowest level since 2011. The company predicted that sales in the current quarter would be between $75.5bn and $77.5bn – as little as 1pc up on the same period last year – partially due to a strong dollar.
Nonetheless, Apple said revenue increased by 22pc to $51.5bn in the three months to September 26, the final quarter of its fiscal year. The company sold 48m iPhones, an 22pc increase, during the quarter, which included the first two days that its new 6s and 6s Plus models went on sale. Android users are switching to the iPhone at a record rate, the company said.
One low point for the company were sales of its iPad tablet, which at 9.9m were 20pc down on the same quarter last year. Sales of the iPad have now fallen for seven consecutive quarters and are at their lowest since early 2011, with owners upgrading the device far less frequently than their iPhones. Apple shares were flat in after-hours trading, as the better-than-expected sales were cancelled out by somewhat disappointing forecasts for the next quarter.