The best photography company publishes the best results.

Before someone accuses me of conflicted bias, let me confirm two facts. I am conflicted, as I own a boat load of Apple stock, and I am biased for the same reason. And as long time readers of this journal know, I am also a customer, electing to put my money where my mouth is.

Today, confirming that Wall Street analysts for the most part commit grand larceny every pay day, Apple published its fourth quarter results, disclosing iPod sales up 34% (the analysts had it that the iPod had ‘peaked’) and excelling in all other areas, with dramatic growth in notebook and iMac sales. Now watch all those analysts become historians (they get paid for that?) as they raise their earnings targets.

And all of this is before iTV hits the shelves, allowing you to route movies from your Mac to your TV. Then add the forthcoming iPhone, which will be the first cellular phone that will have proper ergonomics, and you have a company on a roll.

For this user it’s the iMac and Aperture and iPhoto which constitute the most powerful photographic triumvirate ever known to man. Forget front end gear. Any one of dozens of cameras by Canon, Nikon, Leica, Sony, Samsung, HP, Casio, Pentax, etc. etc. can take great pictures. It’s delivering them to the viewer that matters and that’s where Apple’s products excel.

So do yourself a favor. Make some coin for that next camera, or better, for that iMac, and buy the stock. Generally, it’s best to buy right after some two bit bed wetter calling himself a stock analyst, one better suited to garbage collection where he can pick up his detritus, pontificates that the stock is a ‘hold’ (Wall Street euphemism for ‘sell’) or a ‘sell’ (Wall Street euphemism for ‘run for the exits’). These fellows are the perfect contrarian indicator.

Don’t believe me on analysts? Try this well informed Apple Blog which appropriately bestowed its Jackasses of the Week award on two analysts from a purportedly reputable firm.

Apple used to leak famously; now that Jobs has learned his lesson, leaks are punishable by death. So the company blithley refuses to comment on Wall Street noise and just delivers the goods. And the financial results.

As for that option thing? Forget it. No way the US is going to lock up the most popular man in America.

The world takes notice. Apple stock over the past six months.

Apple. The best imaging company in the world.