Even so, revenues climbed by 9% for the quarter compared to the same period in 2008, and profits jumped 15%, largely on the backs of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple sold 2.2 million Macs during the quarter, a decline of 3% from last year. But Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, argued that the number should be seen as a major win for the company, considering that research firm IDC last week pegged the overall personal computer industry decline at a steeper 7%.

"To exceed [the industry average] in this horrendous economy is quite an accomplishment," Cook said. While CEO , Cook is the company's head executive, in charge of day-to-day operations.

"They have every right to be as happy as they appeared to be," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research Inc. "The fact is, in this economy, they've done quite well."

Apple sold 1.4 million notebooks and 818,000 desktops in its second fiscal quarter, which ended March 31 -- a decline of 2% for the former, a decrease of 4% for the latter over the same quarter last year. The drop in desktop sales, however, was significantly less than in previous quarters; last quarter, for example, from the same period the year before.