Booming iPod sales put shine on Apple profits

BOOMING sales of iPod music players have helped lift profits by 41 per cent at Apple Computer.

The group, which also makes Macintosh computers, reported net income of around £229 million for the first three months of 2006 on sales up 34 per cent at some £2.4 billion.

Although Apple also issued a forecast below current Wall Street hopes, shares in the technology giant rose nearly five per cent in out-of-hours trading.

The latest figures showed sales of the iPod digital music player topped 8.5m in the quarter.