iPhone 4S Pushed Apple Store Sales Through the Roof Last Quarter

When Steve Jobs unveiled the first Apple Store back in 2001, critics laughed at him. Many believed that Jobs’ plan to open retail stores on prime real estate to spotlight Apple’s products would send the company into bankruptcy.

But as we all know, things didn’t quite play out that way. As with a majority of its other endeavors, Apple’s retail chain is the best, and most lucrative in the business. And thanks to the recent iPhone 4S launch, the best just got better…

Fortune passes on some interesting numbers from analyst Charlie Wolf regarding Apple Store sales during its monster $47 billion quarter. The three month period started in October, and ended December 31st of last year.

• Revenue per store: $17.08 million (up $5 million from 2010)
• Same store sales up 42.6% year over year
• Vistors per store up 15.3% year over year
• International sales: 58% of Apple’s worldwide total
• Stores at the end of the quarter: 361

The report mentions another interesting fact: Apple Stores average a staggering $8,133 in sales per square foot (store sales/store square footage). To put this number in perspective, Tiffany’s, a high-end jewelry store, brings in an average $2,974 per square foot. Wow.

As we’ve said before, Apple’s freakish quarter was the result of a number of things. Not only was it the holidays (including Black Friday), but there was also pent up consumer demand for Apple’s new iPhone — the iPhone 4S.

The true test will be if Apple can continue to churn out impressive results, without any of the above-mentioned factors. Seriously, how long can it keep posting these ridiculous numbers?