Technology giant Apple said newer lines of business such as Apple Pay, the App Store and Apple Music helped to drive growth in its third quarter.

The services unit was what one analyst described as a "shining light", while sales were robust for Apple's hardware, including iPhones and iPads.

Quarterly profit rose 12% to $8.7bn (£6.6bn). Revenues grew by 7% year-on-year to $45.4bn.

The news sent its stock surging more than 5% in after-hours trade.

Apple, which also forecast strong sales, is expected to release new and updated iPhones next month.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook was tight-lipped when it came to details on the new launch and said reports about the new phones may have caused some people to "pause" their purchases of the existing phones.

But "while that affects us in the short-term, it probably bodes well", he added.

Source: bbc