Rocketing sales of the iPod digital music player have helped Apple to nearly treble its profits for the first quarter of the year, sending shares in the technology company up by more than 10 per cent.

Apple said that demand for iPods had surged by 909 per cent in the three months to March 27, beating sales in the last three months of 2003 when the devices were snapped up as a popular Christmas present. The company sold more than 807,000 iPods between January and March, underlining the device's status as the must-have gadget of 2004.

In the period, the California-based company for the first time sold more iPods than it did its Macintosh computers.

Other products also made healthy advances. Revenues from iBook notebook computers climbed 48 per cent to $223 million, while sales of the high-specification Power Mac computers increased 19 per cent to $349m.

The firm's retail stores also steamed ahead with sales of $266m, nearly doubling last year's figures.

The iPod, which can store 10,000 songs, was the star performer, with revenues of $31m a year ago exploding to $264m.

The figures came as Apple revealed profits of $46m for the quarter compared with $14m a year before.

Such has been the appeal of the modern-day replacement of Sony's iconic Walkman, Apple has faced problems supplying iPods to meet demand.

British tourists taking advantage of sterling's strength against the dollar have flocked to New York with the music player high on their shopping lists, leading to many stores selling out.

Executives at the firm yesterday expected supplies of the iPod mini, the less expensive and brightly-coloured model, to remain tight. The company would, however, be able to meet demand for the original, white iPods, they added.

The upbeat figures put investors on standby for double-digit grrowth in earnings during the third quarter of its financial year, with revenues expected to reach $1.93 billion.

But the iPod's desirability has led some owners to become victims of the gadget's success. The Times this month revealed how the player's distinctive white earphones are increasingly being targeted by muggers keen to acquire the must-have item for themselves without adding to Apple's coffers.

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