Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 fourth quarter ended September 29, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $36.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.2 billion, or $8.67 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.3 billion and net profit of $6.6 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.0 percent compared to 40.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 60 percent of the quarter's revenue.

The Company sold 26.9 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 58 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 14.0 million iPads during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.9 million Macs during the quarter, a 1 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 5.3 million iPods, a 19 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated mobile devices graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for first half of 2012.

We found that shipments of GPUs in mobile devices (tablets and smart phones) during the first half of 2012 had a growth year to year (1h'11 to 1h'12) of 69.4%. Samsung's sales surged in the first half giving them the highest CAGR for the year (179%), followed by Qualcomm (39%), which was already enjoying high shipment rates. MediaTek (included under "Others" for this report but we will break them out by name in our next report on mobile devices) had a phenomenal 966% growth year to year (starting from a very low base).

ZAGG Inc., a leading mobile device accessories and technology company, has released a complete line of products to protect, personalize and enhance the new Apple iPad mini. ZAGG's new products, designed specifically for Apple's recent entry into the 7" tablet market, include keyboards, cases, and protective films.

"We are excited about these new versions of our award-winning accessories designed for the iPad mini, including our invisibleSHIELD products, iFrogz cases, and ZAGG keyboards," said Kent Wuthrich, executive vice president of marketing for ZAGG. "As one of the only keyboard accessories designed specifically for iPad mini, the ZAGGkeys MINI 7 and MINI 9 will offer the proven utility and convenience that our customers have come to expect from the ZAGGkeys line."

If you weren't paying attention to Apple's worst-kept secret over the past month, jumped on to purchase an iPad, and are now suffering buyers' remorse after yesterday's 7.9-inch iPad Mini launch, you're in luck - provided you live near certain Apple Stores that are accepting exchanges for iPads purchased in the last 30 days, to the new iPad Mini and 4th Generation iPad. The Stockton Street branch in San Francisco is accepting exchanges, although another store at 5th avenue, New York told Engadget that it isn't a company-wide offer, and not all stores are obliged with carrying out this offer.

Apple today unveiled a completely new iMac with a stunning design, brilliant display with reduced reflection, and faster processors.* With third generation Intel quad-core processors, powerful NVIDIA graphics and an innovative new storage option called Fusion Drive, the new iMac is the most advanced desktop Apple has ever made.

"With a stunning design, brilliant display and faster performance, we've made the world's leading all-in-one desktop computer better in every way," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The all-new iMac is unbelievably thin, yet packs an incredible amount of performance and technology into our most innovative desktop."

Apple today introduced an all-new version of its popular 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring a stunning Retina display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the remarkably portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro.

"The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With vivid colors, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else's 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook."

A Samsung employee told Korea Times that the company has stopped making touchscreens for Apple, a major component of the iPad. Despite legal tussles between the companies over design patents of smartphones and tablets on a near-global scale, Samsung maintained a supplier relationship with Apple, making touchscreens and contract-manufacturing ASICs at its semiconductor fabs. According to the employee's statement to the newspaper, Apple has become a troublesome customer paying less and less for LCD screens, resulting in the Korean company to cut back on orders. Apple has been paying half of what it used to for screens in the iPad 2. The upcoming iPad Mini, which will be launched a little later this week, will not feature Samsung screens.

Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated mobile devices graphics chip shipments for the first half of 2012. Mobile devices include smartphones, tablets, and game consoles.

The market for portable devices (mobile devices that we can carry) continues to soar in spite of economic difficulties and general uncertainty. Although portable devices are not necessarily replacing the PC, they are outselling the PC. All of these devices have a graphics processor (GPU) integrated in the device's system on a chip (SoC) application processor.

A British court ruled that Samsung Galaxy Tab did not pose a copyright infringement of Apple iPad. Apple and Samsung are locked in design patent infringement lawsuits around the world, with the UK being an important market for both. In addition to its ruling, the court told Apple to issue a public apology to Samsung and its customers in advertisements, with a font size no smaller than Arial 14. The court of appeal upheld its judgement that and Samsung did not infringe Apple's design.

An increasing number of Apple iMac customers are facing troubles with Seagate-made 1 TB hard drives their iMacs shipped with, since 2011. Apple responded with a free no-questions-asked hard drive replacement program for affected customers, but evidently believes some customers may be using faulty Seagate hard drives from even before 2011. The company stretched its hard drive replacement program to cover iMacs purchased between October 2009 and July 2011. "Apple has determined that certain Seagate 1TB hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail," said Apple.

The company is holding a list of iMacs by their serial numbers, which are likely to be affected by faulty hard drives. Customers who registered their iMacs have already been contacted, while others are presented with an online tool that lets you check if yours is one of those affected iMacs. Apple and its Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) are tasked with carrying out these free replacements. Customers will now be covered by replacement protection for three years, that's up to April 2013.

Market analysts with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. see TSMC as being the only company able to supply chips built on the 20 nanometer silicon fabrication process to Apple, for its quad-core systems on chip (SoC). J.T. Hsu, a market research fellow with Citigroup points out that Apple began verifying TSMC's 20 nm manufacturing capabilities in August 2012, and could begin risk production (preliminary batches with accepted risk of low-yields) as early as by November 2012. If all goes well, mass production (high-yield) could begin by Q4 2013. TSMC could hike its capital expenditure to the range of US $11-12 billion in 2013-14.

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 87.5 million units in the third quarter of 2012, a decline of 8.3 percent compared with the third quarter of 2011, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc.

"A continuing slowdown in consumer PC shipments played a big part in the overall PC market decline," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "The third quarter was also a transitional quarter before Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system release, so shipments were less vigorous as vendors and their channel partners liquidated inventory.

Creative technologies developer Modbook Inc. today announced that its highly portable 13.3-inch Mac-based pen tablet computer, the Modbook Pro, will forego the traditional internal storage method of hard disk drives (HDDs) in favor of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs). The standard internal storage option on the Modbook Pro will be a 64 GB solid-state drive, with upgrades possible to increase internal SSD storage to 480 GB.

Modbook Inc. today also announced that the ordering process for the Modbook Pro is scheduled to begin next Wednesday, October 3, 2012. Customers with shipping addresses in the United States will be able to order the Modbook Pro online for shipment as early as mid-November.

NETGEAR, Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the worldwide availability of NETGEAR Centria, a powerful, all-in-one automatic backup/media server and high-speed WiFi router. Centria is a dual band high-performance router with the added convenience of automatic data backup for both PCs and Macs. The backup capability of the Centria router gives you peace of mind knowing that your data is always backed up.

If your PC or Mac goes down or is lost, you can still access your data from Centria using another computer. Routers are an ideal device to provide data backup since they are always on and are the central point of connection for all computers in the home. Additionally, Centria can be used as a storage repository for photos, media and documents that may take up too much space on your computer. Centria uses an internal SATA drive and/or external USB drives to backup and store data.

Apple today announced the new iTunes for Mac and PC featuring a completely redesigned player, seamless integration with iCloud, and a stunning new look for the world's most popular online music, apps, TV and movie stores.

The new iTunes is coming in October and will feature a dramatically simpler and cleaner interface that keeps your favorite iTunes content at the forefront. With iCloud integration, your music, movie and TV purchases made on any of your iOS devices or computers is conveniently displayed in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC, available anytime you want them. The redesigned iTunes Store, App Store and iBookstore have been rethought to make buying your favorite content on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC simpler than ever.

Mac professionals will benefit from dramatically improved graphics performance and productivity with today's announcement of the NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac Pro systems.

Based on NVIDIA Kepler architecture -- the world's fastest, most efficient GPU design -- the Quadro K5000 for Mac is the most powerful professional-class GPU ever for the Macintosh, delivering unprecedented visualization and computation capabilities for designers and digital content creators.

HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, announces the availability of three new, ultra-portable JBL speakers built for superior on-the-go music enjoyment from a smartphone or tablet. The compact speakers - the JBL Flip (right), JBL Micro Wireless and JBL Micro II - easily fit into a backpack or back pocket and are ideal for business travel, dorm rooms or a second bedroom. Each speaker includes a built-in bass port to deliver a deep, more resonant sound than comparably sized portable speakers.

The three ultra-portable JBL speakers range from $39 to $99 and work with virtually any music-playing gadget, including the Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod touch as well as Android smartphones or tablets and BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phones. Each features a convenient, rechargeable battery that provides up to five hours of playing time. Two speakers - the JBL Flip and JBL Micro Wireless - connect via Bluetooth wireless or through a cable, while the JBL Micro Wireless and JBL Micro II can be daisy-chained with other JBL Micro speakers to create a significantly larger - and louder - soundscape.

WD, a subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation, today announced that it has added the USB 3.0 interface to its line of My Passport for Mac portable hard drives and increased capacity for Mac computer users up to an unmatched 2 TB. Popular among students and other Mac users who take their digital content everywhere, the My Passport for Mac with USB 3.0 allows users to quickly and conveniently take advantage of the faster transfer speeds USB 3.0 provides when connecting the drive to their MacBook computer or MacBook Air computer with that interface.

While continuing to provide a sleek and slim design, the My Passport drive also has been a favorite among consumers and professionals who have safety and security at the top of the list of requirements for portable drives, which is why the My Passport for Mac includes password protection and hardware encryption features to protect content from unauthorized use or access. The My Passport for Mac drive is also compatible out of the box with Apple Time Machine for easy backup to further protect valuable files.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro as the industry's first high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display (rMBP) computers. Available in 480 GB capacity, the 6G (6Gb/s) SandForce Driven Mercury Aura Pro offers rMBP owners 87.5 percent more capacity than the factory 256GB model. Additionally, customers buying the $579.99 MSRP Aura Pro direct from OWC until September 30, 2012, will later receive the OWC Envoy Pro USB 3.0 bus-powered portable enclosure (a $59.95 value) for re-tasking the rMBP's factory flash module as an external drive at no additional cost.

Intel plans to standardize SSD specifications for its Ultrabook platform, which would steer it toward slimmer, faster Ultrabooks. The company plans to invite a large number of industry players, including NAND flash memory makers SanDisk, Micron, and Samsung, for discussions into what is known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), a new SSD form-factor derived from mSATA (think Apple's SSD form-factor found in the MacBook Air).

Intel is in a bit of a hurry with its NGFF SSD plans because the current mSATA form-factor poses limitations, including limited PCB area, in which a limited number of ONFI channels can be wired out. NGFF most likely is mSATA with greater PCB area, allowing the same number of ONFI channels as 2.5-inch SSDs, with the latest generation of controllers and toggle-NAND flash memory. NGFF doesn't increase the thickness of the SSD compared to mSATA, but merely elongates it (again, similar in form to Apple's SSD specifications). Five length standards are being discussed between Intel and Ultrabook partners.

Apple might be diving into the world of console gaming yet again according to Shacknews and GI.biz The patent application shows a staggering similarity to Sony's DualShock controller and what seems to be an iPhone interacting with a Microsoft Xbox360. This might be an Apple style preemptive attack against future endeavors to create apps that interface with current generation consoles or it could be something new that Apple has in the works. With the current growth in Apples market share and the growing popularity of Apple TV it shouldn't come as a surprise it would want a piece of the console pie. Whether the big three (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) give any leeway to Apple has yet to be seen.

Apple today announced that OS X Mountain Lion, the ninth major release of the world's most advanced desktop operating system, is available as a download from the Mac App Store. With more than 200 innovative new features, Mountain Lion includes iCloud integration, the all new Messages app, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, Facebook integration, Dictation, AirPlay Mirroring and Game Center. Mountain Lion is available as an upgrade from Lion or Snow Leopard for $19.99.

"People are going to love the new features in Mountain Lion and how easy it is to download and install from the Mac App Store," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With iCloud integration, Mountain Lion is even easier to set up, and your important information stays up to date across all your devices so you can keep editing documents, taking notes, creating reminders, and continue conversations whether you started on a Mac, iPhone or iPad."

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 third quarter ended June 30, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $35.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.6 billion and net profit of $7.3 billion, or $7.79 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 42.8 percent compared to 41.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter's revenue.

The Company sold 26.0 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 28 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 17.0 million iPads during the quarter, an 84 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.0 million Macs during the quarter, a two percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.8 million iPods, a 10 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

Now, iPhone users can take their TPU (TechPowerUp) places, too! Four months after launching TechPowerUp for Android, we finally managed to clear Apple's App Store bureaucracy and launch our app for the iPhone and iPod Touch (requires iOS 3.0 or later). The TechPowerUp app delivers our site to you in a form that's optimized for your phone, without a browser overhead. News and updates, new reviews and articles are sent as alerts, the content is delivered in just the right way. Not only can you read our stuff, but can also comment, and get access to our 70,000-strong community. Now your iOS device is never too far away from TPU.DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp App (free, for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, requires iOS 3.0 or later)

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express/Mercury Aura Envoy as the industry's first high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade and bus-powered enclosure bundle for 2010-2011 MacBook Air computers. Representing a 'Dream Team' of performance and convenience, the Mercury Aura Bundle includes a Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD that offers nearly 8x the factory maximum storage capacity along with extreme data rate speeds up to or exceeding 500 MB/s - representing up to 68 percent faster real-world speed than the factory Flash SSD. After installing the Aura Pro Express in the MacBook Air, the factory SSD is easily converted into an external storage solution inside the Mercury Aura Envoy to complete the two-in-one storage upgrade.