Apple just reported earnings for the fourth calendar quarter of 2011. It sold 37.04 million iPhones, 15.43 million iPads, and 5.2 million Macs. With a record $13.06 billion in profits, it was Apple’s best quarter ever — by far. If we do some quick math with Apple’s (fourth quarter) 2011 sales numbers, we can determine some incredible things.
In 2009, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007 and 2008 combined. In 2010, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined. Last year, Apple sold 93.1 million iPhones, slightly more than it did in in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined. The pattern continued.
Last month I used the compound interest formula to calculate that Google would activate 59,653,187 Android-based devices during Apple’s fourth calendar quarter. Apple has said that iPod touch sales make up more than half of all iPod sales. That means Apple sold at least 7.7 million iPod touches. And that number, plus 37.04 million iPhones and 15.43 million iPads, means iOS outsold Android last quarter.
UPDATE: On Apple’s earnings call, Tim Cook told analysts that Apple sold over 62 million iOS devices during the fourth quarter, which is about 4 percent more than all of the Android devices sold during the same time period.
