iPhone Sales Line Apple’s Wallet

Thirty-seven million?

Ridiculous. Unless you're talking about iPhone 4S sales. You remember, the one that wasn't re-designed enough to stir gadget passion? Yeah, that one.

Thirty-seven million. In 3 months.

Apple continues to reign as retail king, and continues to ripple out through the tech world. Sure, all those iPhones, plus 15 million iPads, are giving Apple (AAPL) investors a nice boost: As of this writing, Apple shares are soaring to an all-time high, now passing Exxon-Mobil as the world's most valuable company.

The ripple effect is being felt, very positively, by phone chip makers (think Qualcomm), logic chip companies (Cirrus Logic), even the voice guys behind Siri (a big jump tonight for shares of Nuance Communication). Once again, a big quarter for Apple reaffirms how strong the tech industry is right now. Surprised by hiring numbers at companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter? All can be used on your Apple device. Surprised at how many new app companies keep sprouting up? Don't be.

You can argue about Apple stock, and how much "room to grow" it still has. I'm hearing that on my TV as I write this. What's built in, though, is how much people love their Apple products.

Think about this: A bananas quarter for Apple, with products that were all in the pipeline when the quarter started. Now, get ready for 2012, and likely a new lineup of products. Wow.