Apple Mac, iPod in massive sales surge

There's never been a better time to make a move to the Mac - that's if Apple's latest sales figures are anything to go by. Apple shifted 1,517,000 Macs in its second quarter to the end of March. The iPod knocked up 10,549,000 sales for the same period.

"The Mac is clearly gaining market share, with sales growing 36 percent - more than three times the industry growth rate," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He also said that Apple was "hard at work on some other amazing new products in our pipeline." But then he always he says that.

Apple's sales to 31 March 2007 netted the company $770 million (£385 milion) in profits, on revenues of $5.26 billion (£2.63 billion) - yet again confounding the naysayers who dismiss all things Mac and iPod.

Board rallies to Steve Jobs' defence

The Apple board also mounted a stout defence of Steve Jobs. This follows stock options backdating claims made by former chief financial officer Fred Anderson. He said Jobs was complicit in the backdating of shares to company executives - a scandal that has been investigated by the US Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC ).

A statement made by Apple's board of directors states: "We are not going to enter into a public debate with Fred Anderson or his lawyer. Steve Jobs cooperated fully with Apple's independent investigation and with the government's investigation of stock option grants at Apple."

The statement was issued by Apple board members who include former US vice-president Al Gore and Google CEO Eric Schmidt.