Amid the financial downturn that has severely hit Main Street and Wall Street firms as well as economies around the world, 2008 just seems to be a strong year for CEO Steve Jobs.

Apple generated a reported net income of $1.61 billion for the fiscal quarter, which is up 2% from the previous year with its $1.58 billion net income. Also, it has brought in $1.78 per share, which is up from the $1.76 per share for the last year. The company’s revenue on the other hand, has surpassed the $10 billion mark for the first time, with reported sales of $10.17 billion for the fiscal quarter ending December 31, up 6% from the $9.6 billion during the same quarter of the previous year. These data apparently demonstrate significant increase of 1.5% in profit and 5.8% in revenue. These figures have indeed exceeded Apple’s forecasts of per-share earnings at $1.06 to $1.35 on revenue of $9 billion to $10 billion, as well as the predictions of Wall Street analysts of $1.39 per-share earnings on revenue of $9.75 billion.

Additionally, Apple’s strong fiscal 1st quarter pretty much relies on the strength of its laptop, iPhone, and iPod. In the latest quarter, Apple sold over 2.5 million Macs, marking a 9% rise in unit growth from the last year, with laptops accounting for 71% of the Macs sold during the fiscal 1st quarter where laptop sales rose from last year’s 1.342 million to 1.79 million units. According to executives, one defining factor responsible for the record-breaking Mac sales is the company’s introduction of “an overhauled MacBook line” in October that generated a strong response from customers. As for iPhones, Apple sold 4.4 million units, a jump of 88% over a year earlier when the product was launched in the United States in June 2007. Apple has also sold 22.7 million iPods for the quarter, which is up 3% from last year. The iPod also had increased sales in international markets specifically in Australia, Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

While Apple’s officials are elated over its solid quarter sales, the Securities and Exchange Commission is opening an inquiry on disclosures made by the company regarding the health issues of its CEO, Chairman, and Co-founder Steve Jobs, who is presently on leave of absence from the company due to health concerns. Information about the executive’s health is critical to investors so the company is careful in providing facts so as to avoid pitfalls. Aside from his current position at Apple, Jobs also serves on the Board of Directors of the Walt Disney Company, where he is also the largest individual shareholder.

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Tags: Apple Computers