After years of decline, Apple's iPad sales are on the rise

Devs who make games for iOS should know that Apple's fortunes are on the rise, as are sales of both iPhones and iPads, according to the company's latest earnings report.

In the three months ending July 1st, Apple reportedly brought in $45.4 billion in revenue, a bit better than the $42.4 billion it reported in the same period last year. 

More intriguingly, the company says it saw 11.42 million iPads sold during the quarter, a roughly 15 percent uptick in iPad sales year-over-year.

This is notable because iPad sales have been declining for years, and it appears as though recent additions to the iPad line (a cheaper version of the iPad and a new version of the more expensive, beefier iPad Pro) have revived sales. Given that revenue from iPad sales crept up just 2 percent year-over-year, it seems likely that lowering the price of the new iPad has been a key sales driver. 

By comparison, sales of iPhones rose just 2 percent year-over-year, though at ~41 million units sold worldwide they still dwarfed iPad sales. Apple also continues to make Macintosh PCs, and this quarter it sold 4.29 million, a very slight increase (about 1 percent) year-over-year. 

Also, mobile game devs eyeing the Chinese market should know that Apple's quarterly revenues were up year-over-year in all regions except China, where they actually fell 10 percent. In a conference call with investors to discuss the results, Apple chief Tim Cook put the blame specifically on low sales in Hong Kong, adding that sales in mainland China had remained relatively unchanged year-over-year.