Apple sold a record 51 million iPhones last quarter

Apple sold a record number of iPhones and iPads during the holiday quarter, the company announced today. During the three months ended December 28, Apple sold 51 million iPhones (compared to 47.8 million last year) and 26 million iPads (up from 22.9 million last year).

The company's computer business was also a bright spot, as Apple sold 4.8 million Macs during the quarter, compared to 4.1 million a year ago.

Overall, Apple posted record quarterly revenue of $57.6 billion, up from $54.5 billion last year, and a net profit for the quarter of $13.1 billion, the same figure as last year. International sales made up 63 percent of Apple's quarterly revenue.

Looking ahead, Apple said it expects to pull in between $42 billion and $44 billion in revenue for its fiscal 2014 second quarter.

Earlier today, documents provided by Edward Snowden revealed that American and British agents might be spying on you through apps like Angry Birds, which rose to popularity thanks in part to iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.

Many companies will report earnings in the days and weeks ahead. All eyes will be on Nintendo when the beleaguered company announces results on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Electronic Arts will report earnings tomorrow and Take-Two will disclose its financial performance next week.