Apple reports blockbuster first quarter

In today's podcast: Apple reports blockbuster first quarter; VMware sees large gains in maintenance fees; and Microsoft leaks SDK for Windows Mobile 6.5.

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Apple on Monday reported growth in revenue and net income for the first quarter of 2010, buoyed by strong iPhone and Mac shipments. The company reported a net profit of US$3.4 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 26, compared to $2.3 billion in the first quarter of 2009. Apple shipped 8.7 million iPhones in the quarter, an increase of 100 percent over the first quarter a year ago. Shipments of Macintosh computers rose 33 percent during the quarter, while iPod shipments declined by 8 percent.

Virtualization company VMware has reported a healthy increase in revenue for the fourth quarter, thanks largely to gains from software maintenance fees. Revenue for the quarter, ended Dec. 31, came in at US$608 million, an 18 percent increase from the same period last year. New license sales declined slightly from last year, to $304 million, but services revenue jumped 52 percent to $304 million, thanks mostly to an increase in software maintenance revenue.

Microsoft accidentally published the Windows Mobile 6.5 SDK (software developers kit) on Friday but has since pulled it. Developers discovered the SDK on Microsoft's Download site. One, Joel Ivory Johnson, downloaded it and reports that it includes Widget tools and emulators for version 6.5.3, the next update to the OS. He and another developer both had trouble using the SDK, indicating that it likely was not ready for release.

Lenovo has shut down one of its two computer manufacturing plants in India, as the company has seen its market share decline in the country. The company began slowing production at is Baddi manufacturing facility in Himachal Pradesh in north India in April last year. Since then, production for Lenovo has been shifted to its second plant in Pondicherry in south India, which has sufficient capacity to meet customer demand, the company said.

...And those are the top stories from the IDG Global IT News Update, brought to you by the IDG News Service. I'm Sumner Lemon in Singapore. Join us again later for more news from the world of technology.