As with most bad things, there’s a plus side. When it comes to Apple, even though Steve Jobs announced taking a medical leave of absence, there is in fact reason to celebrate.

Today, Apple released financial results for its first quarter, which ended on December 25, 2010. The company posted quite fruitful (pun intended) revenue amounting to a whopping $26.74 billion, and boasted record net quarterly profit of $6 billion. As one can see, the iPad and iPhone craze is not an illusion, it’s very tangible.

Converting from a diehard PC user to an Apple fanatic begins with smaller devices and leads to personal computer sales, which can be seen in sales figures. According to an official press release from Apple, “Apple sold 4.13 million Macs during the quarter, a 23 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 16.24 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 86 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 19.45 million iPods during the quarter, representing a seven percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 7.33 million iPads during the quarter.”

“We couldn’t be happier with the performance of our business, generating $9.8 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO.

Given the quality and innovation of Apple products, I feel that profits will continue to soar irrespective of Steve Jobs’ absence. In essence, cutting edge products will sell themselves.

Aaron Schoenberger
@TheSchoenberger
The Brainchild Group

Aaron Schoenberger is Founder of The Brainchild Group — a world-renowned Internet marketing agency that specializes in Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). He’s known for his work with celebrities, top restaurants, automotive manufacturers, professional athletes, educational institutions, luxury brands and Fortune 500 companies.