No More iTunes Love From Costco (COST, AAPL)

These days, it seems that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) products are everywhere. With Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) and others increasing their Apple product lineup (Target recently added the iPad to its many stores across the nation), it's almost unfathomable to think that we could one day enter a retailer that wasn't selling at least one Apple item.

That is, unless you shop at Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST). Costco has announced that Apple products are being phased out of its stores, The Seattle Times reports.

While Costco has been selling iPods and pre-loaded iTunes cards for years, neither item was offered at a huge discount. To make matters more difficult for the retailer, Apple did not allow Costco to sell its products online. Thus, the two companies agreed to wind things down.

On a more positive note, Costco has reported a strong quarter, with a 17% boost in profits to $312 million, or 71 cents a share, for the first fiscal quarter that ended November 21.

The Seattle Times reports that Costco grew 11% to $19.2 billion, and customers were visiting more frequently than ever, although not always for big-ticket items.