CUPERTINO, CALIF. - Macintosh and iPod sales helped boost Apple's fiscal third-quarter earnings 31 percent, beating expectations, but investors pummeled the stock after Apple issued soft guidance for the current quarter.

Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, did not join the conference call with investors.

During the call, an analyst inquired about the CEO's health. Jobs has survived pancreatic cancer.

"He has no plan to leave Apple," Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer responded. "Steve's health is a private matter."

Apple earned $1.07 billion, or $1.19 per share, 11 cents ahead of Wall Street's expectations. Revenue jumped 38 percent to $7.46 billion, ahead of analysts' average view for $7.37 billion in sales.

Apple said it shipped more Macs in the quarter than ever before -- 2.5 million, up 41 percent from a year ago. But Apple's shares sank $18.04, or 10.8 percent, to $148.25 in after-hours trading, after gaining $1.34 to close at $166.29.

Investors might have been spooked by Apple's conservative outlook. It predicted profit of $1 per share on $7.8 billion in sales, short of expectations. Analysts had expected fourth-quarter earnings to reach $1.24 per share on $8.32 billion in sales.

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