Apple's iPad had another weak quarter, though CEO Tim Cook believes Cupertino's new partnership with IBM will help boost those numbers via enterprise sales.
Apple sold 13.3 million iPads during the quarter, down from 16.3 million in the last quarter and 26 million over the holiday quarter.
During a Tuesday earnings call with analysts, Cook said iPad sales "met our expectations," but acknowledged that they were lower than investors would like.
Still, "we've very bullish on the future of the tablet market," Cook said. The recently announced deal with IBM - whereby business will be able to buy iOS devices equipped with IBM-enhanced enterprise software - will be a "catalyst for future iPad growth," he suggested.
Though iPad's U.S. market share for tablets in the U.S. is 76 percent with consumers, it's only at 20 percent for businesses, Cook said. So there's a "substantial upside" for iPad with the IBM deal.
"I think we have to do more things to get the business side of [tablet sales] moving in a faster trajectory. I think we're now onto something that can really do that" with IBM, he said.
Cook pointed to a variety of stats that indicate high satisfaction levels with iPad, as well as a softening market for tablets, according to IDC. What he didn't mention was that IDC indicated that tablet sales are slowing because of phablets, or phones that are larger than 5 inches. Though Cook seemed unimpressed with phablets a year ago, recent rumors suggest that Apple will jump into the phablet space with its next iPhone release - unveiling a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch iPhone in the fall.
Cook, of course, did not make any product announcements during today's call, though he reiterated that Apple fans will be very pleased with Cupertino's upcoming product announcements.
For now, customers still seem happy with the 4-inch form factor on the existing iPhones. During the quarter, Apple sold 35.2 million iPhones, down from 43.7 million between January and March and 51 million in the fourth quarter.
But "our record June quarter revenue was fueled by strong sales of iPhone and Mac and the continued growth of revenue from the Apple ecosystem, driving our highest [earnings per share] growth rate in seven quarters," Cook said.
Apple sold 4.4 million Macs during the quarter, up from 4.1 million in Q2, while iPods landed at 2.9 million. Cupertino is also sitting on about $164.5 billion in cash.
For more, check out Apple and IBM Bury the Hammer and IBM and Apple Mean Business, as well as A Brief History of Apple and IBM Partnerships.