Apple's iPod has really caught the imagination of music lovers

The firm reported net profit of $46m (�26m) in the three months to March, up about 230% from the $14m it achieved for the same period the year before.

Apple's turnover was also substantially higher - up 29% at �1.91bn.

The company sold 807,000 iPods during the quarter, a 909% rise on the same period a year ago.

Fred Anderson, Apple's chief financial officer, said the iPod probably accounted for half of the revenue growth.

In the latest quarter, Apple's revenue from iPod sales was $264m, up from $31m a year ago.

Best seller

Since the iPod was introduced in 2001, Apple has sold more than 2.8 million of the devices.

The latest and smallest version - the iPod Mini - has proved so popular in the US since its introduction in January that its international release has had to be put back until the end of July.

Sales of Apple's Macintosh computers increased by 5% during the second quarter to 749,000.

The company now expects overall sales for the third quarter to reach $1.925bn.