When companies such as Apple release their third quarter earnings, they are telling the public how much money they gained or lost during the third quarter of the fiscal year. They give out this information in order to let stockholders or possible stockholders how well their company is doing so they know whether to buy or sell shares.http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/earningsreport.asp

Apple release their third quarter earnings about a month after it ends. In 2009, they posted a revenue of $8.34 billion with a net quarterly revenue of $1.23 billion. Their gross margin was 36.3% for the quarter, and their international sales accounted for 44% of their total revenue. This was attributed to 2.6 million Macintosh computers being sold during the quarter along with 10.2 million iPods. The iPhone also sold a record number at 5.2 million worldwide.http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html

Apple's third quarter earnings in 2009 marked a rise from their numbers in 2008. They reported a profit of $7.46 billion and a net quarterly revenue of $1.07 billion. These numbers went up a fair amount in 09. Their gross margin was 1.5% less during the third quarter of 2008 than it would be the following year. Apple sold more computers and iPhones in 2009 than the previous year.http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html

Apple has grown from being a vision, to a small company, to a technology super-giant. When they first started, shares were selling for $22 a piece.http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357&p=irol-faq#stock5 Now, shares are selling for more than ten times that.http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aapl Since the release of the iPhone and Apple TV in 2007, sales have been getting even better.http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html