$46 billion record, Apple first quarter sales

Despite the tragic death of the company’s CEO and co-founder, Steve Jobs, Apple recorded the best quarter in history for a technology company, surpassing Wall Street’s predictions. The master minds of Apple sold about 37 million iPhones and 15.4 million iPads in its first quarter, which ended on Dec. 31. A year ago, the company’s first quarter profit was $6 billion and has since doubled to more than $13.1 billion.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook commented on Tuesday saying, “We would attribute it to just a breathtaking customer reception of the iPhone 4S.” The company projects revenue of $32.5 billion in the second-quarter. Apple received a reported $127.8 billion in sales in 2011.