Apple Sets New iPhone Sales Record and Blows Past Estimates (AAPL)

Apple AAPL gained a lot of attention this morning as investors anxiously waited for the company's fiscal 2013 third quarter results. Though there were some disappointments -- global Mac sales declined five percent, matching NPD Group's report of domestic Mac sales -- Apple also reported some very surprising news: that the iPhone is continuing to grow. During the June quarter (which ended on June 29, 2013), Apple sold 31.2 million iPhones. This represented a 20 percent increase over the year-ago period. Apple sold 26 million iPhones during 3Q 2012. Related: 31% of Consumers Will Wait in Line for PlayStation 4, iPhone 5S Apple set a new record for third quarter iPhone sales, which were considerably higher than the estimates published by most analysts. With only one quarter left in the fiscal year, Apple is likely to set a new record for full-year iPhone sales as well. In a company release, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at how the company will able to maintain its impressive sales growth. "We are especially proud of our record June quarter iPhone sales of over 31 million and the strong growth in revenue from iTunes, Software and Services," Cook remarked. "We are really excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, and we are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall and across 2014." That latter comment suggests that Apple will release new products throughout 2014, instead of saving almost everything for the summer and fall months (as it has in 2013). During its conference call, Apple confirmed that the new MacBook Pro will be released next month, followed by the new Mac Pro in the fall. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ