PortalPlayer, the audio chip maker whose products power the majority of Apple's iPods, saw Q3 income jump 221.9 per cent year on year.

For the three months to 30 September 2005, PP recorded sales totalling $57.9m, up 29.8 per cent sequentially and 126.2 per cent on the year-ago quarter.

It's not hard to see why: Apple introduced the iPod Nano during the period, and if its big Flash memory deal with Samsung is anything to go by, it will have similarly ordered rather a lot of PP's audio SoCs too.

PP's chips are found in the new video-capable hard disk-based iPod too. However, the Nano is the first Flash-based MP3 player the company's chips have been used in. Apple's iPod Shuffle is based on a SigmaTel audio processor.

Looking ahead, PP said it expects Q4 revenue to be in the range of $65-75m - up 12.3-29.5 per cent - with net income falling in the $9.7-12.3 million range. ®

Related stories

• Apple iPod sales pass 30m (21 November 2005)
• Apple to spend $1.25bn to secure Flash supply (21 November 2005)
• Apple iPod Nano lawsuit spreads (8 November 2005)
• Analysis Apple iPod sales to pass 37m this quarter - analyst (2 November 2005)
• World chip sales jumped in September (31 October 2005)
• Apple sued over Nano scratches (24 October 2005)
• Video iPod plus Front Row: Media Center killer, or shoulder-shrug? (13 October 2005)
• Apple intros couch potato iMac and video iPod (12 October 2005)
• Apple and Samsung could face Korea flash memory probe (10 October 2005)
• 2GB iPod Nano costs $100 to make - researcher (23 September 2005)