The recently-posted fourth-quarter results by Apple beat the analysts’ estimates, largely due to significant contributions from new customers and new computers at Apple’s Retail Stores.

Apple generated $9.87 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 26, vis-à-vis the revenue figures of $7.9 billion in the same quarter last year; thereby beating the analysts’ projections of $9.2 billion revenue.

The quarterly profit of the company stood at $1.67 billion, or $1.82 per diluted share, which marked an improvement over the $1.14 billion net profit in the 2008 fourth quarter. The analysts had expected the company to post $1.42 earnings per share.

In addition, with Apple opening 15 new locations, taking its total number of international stores to 273 storefronts, the company’s retail employees attended to nearly 46 million visitors during the quarter, as against the 42.7 million visitors last year in the same quarter.

However, though Apple sold a lesser number of iPods during the quarter as compared to last year, it registered a year-over-year rise of 7 percent and 17 percent respectively in the fourth-quarter shipments of iPhone and Mac computer. 

Noting the increase in sales of iPhones and Macs, and expecting stronger numbers in coming months, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said: “We've got a very strong lineup for the holiday season and some really great new products in the pipeline for 2010.”