Sales of Apple’s iPad topped 17 million units in the company’s most recent quarter, up more than 80 percent over the same quarter a year ago, demonstrating the continued momentum of Apple’s tablet.

The results were released a short time ago. The company overall missed Wall Street’s expectations for earnings and revenue. Apple posted revenue of $35 billion and earnings of $9.32 for the quarter ended June 30. Analysts polled in advance by Thomson Reuters expected revenue of more than $37 billion and earnings of $10.36 per share.

Apple also announced that Mountain Lion, the next version of Mac OS X, will be released on Wednesday.

The continued growth of the iPad shows that many consumers are continuing to opt for the Apple tablet over lower-priced portable Windows-based notebooks. Hoping to cut into Apple’s momentum, Microsoft is releasing its new Windows 8 in August, with a tablet-friendly interface and a special Windows 8 version that works on ARM processors common in tablets and mobile devices.

Sales of iPhones were 26 million in the quarter, up 28 percent. Apple sold 4 million Macs, up 2 percent.

Apple’s quarterly conference call with analysts begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.

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