Shine Comes Back to Apple

"We are extremely unhappy with these events," Oppenheimer said. "We believe IBM has placed enormous resources on improving the situation."

On the bright side, analysts noted that the shipments will come before the holidays, another important selling season.

The company shipped 876,000 Mac units, representing a 14% increase in CPU units from a year ago and a 17% increase from a quarter ago. PowerBook sales increased 37% year over year and iBook sales jumped 26% as more customers opted for laptops.

Education has been one area of strength for Apple, and this quarter was no different. The company posted its highest U.S. education channel revenue in three years, with CPU units in the U.S. education sector increasing 4% year over year, compared to a 14% decline in the industry.