Photo: Lost in Japan. Perdido en Japón / Flickr

While overall notebook sales growth has begun slowing, and is expecting to slow further still in the coming years, certain companies are still making a killing at the expense of others. Apple is one such company, with US Mac sales exploding, stealing some market share from industry leaders like Dell and HP.

Slowed somewhat in Q4

Both iDC and Gartner report (via MacWorld) that Apple posted double-digit Mac Sales in Q4, even though rivals surged ahead of the company off of strong corporate buying as the year closed in. As such, Apple went from the number three spot to the number five spot from Q3 to Q4.

The full picture

However, that doesn’t paint the full picture of just how well Apple is doing with Mac sales. Gartner reports that Apple’s Q4 sales were up 23.7 per cent, while IDC reports that Apple’s overall year-on-year increase was a very healthy 15.2 per cent.

In terms of individual sales, the Gartner research shows Apple selling 1.9 million Mac desktops – the lesser talked about computers in their lineup – snagging 9.7 per cent of the overall US market. IDC’s research revealed less optimistic yet still impressive results, showing Apple selling 1.7 million units for 8.7 per cent market share.

Both reports say, even with the slip due to robust corporate sales in Q4, Apple’s Mac sales gains were significantly larger than that of the industry’s average, with Gartner reporting PC industry sales in the US dropped by 6.8 per cent, and IDC also sighting negative numbers, saying sales dropped 4.4 per cent.

Momentum means something!

What’s most remarkable about how good Apple Mac sales currently are is this startling stat – only once since 2003 has Team Jobs failed to increase year-on-year sales of their computers. That, no matter how you feel about Apple, is remarkable.

Photo: Stock.Xchng

The long rumoured Apple iMac update has come to fruition with the folks at Cupertino adding Intel Core i3, Intel Core i5, and Intel Core i7 processors in lieu of the Core 2 Duo, as well as introducing ATI Radeon HD graphics processors and IPS panels.

21-inch options

The entry-level iMac is priced at $1,199. It comes with a 21.5-inch 1080p display, a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 CPU, an ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GPU, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.

The iMac a level up is priced at $1,499 and also shares the aforementioned 21.5-inch 1080p screen. RAM remains at 4GB as well. Where there is a difference is in the processing speed, with Apple opting for the 3.2GHz Intel Core i3. The GPU is also slightly different, with the ATI Radeon HD 5670 coming with 512MB onboard memory.

27-inch options

The next iMac, priced at $1,699 is the first of the 27-inch iMacs, with the generous LED-backlit display packing a resolution of 2560×1440. Fret not, cinema fans, that’s still the classic 16:9 aspect ratio. Processing here is done by the 3.2GHz Intel Core i3 as well, the usual 4GB of DDR3 RAM is packed in, and the graphics are also handled by the 512MB ATI Radeon HD 5670. At this level, however, Apple builds to order, with the option of including a 3.6GHz Intel Core i5 instead, 256GB SSD, a 2TB hard drive and up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM. It will cost you, of course.

Photo: Apple

The top-of-the-line Apple iMac, priced at $1,999 sports the aforementioned 27-inch display. Behind that jarringly large display is a quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i5, which has 8MB of L3 cache. The usual 4GB of DDR3 RAM reappears, as do the 1TB hard drive and the ATI Radeon HD 5670. Built to order units see the ability to add a 2.93GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, a 2TB hard drive, and up to 16GB DDR3 RAM.

Naturally Apple bundles these with a wireless keyboard and a magic mouse, too.

The updated iMacs are available from Apple’s store and resellers in the US, with the rest of the world likely to get a slow roll out of these computers over the coming weeks. Sometimes retailers try sell the older iMac versions at discounted prices to make space for the newer models, so this is could be a pretty good time to snap up an iMac at a discounted price.

Photo: Apple

Apple’s iMac line of computers was Steve Jobs’ (and Jonathan Ive’s) first touch of brilliance upon Jobs’ return to a faltering Apple. Now the then luminous-coloured desktop tower/screen hybrid has adopted more of Apple’s industrial, metallic motif and contributes comparably less to the company’s bottom line than it did back then, but the Apple iMac is still a stunner. And with the base configuration being well-specced, the upper level all-in-one Apple iMac screams with processing capability and aesthetic attractiveness.

Configuration options

Both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch Apple iMacs have Intel Core 2 Duo options running at 3.06GHz with 3MB L2 cache and 3.33GHz with 6MB L2 cache.

The 27-inch model has Intel’s most recent line of chips, the Intel Core i5 and he Intel Core i7 as viable options. The Intel Core i5 iMac runs at 2.66GHz with ‘Turbo Boost’ performance able to churn 3.2GHZ. The Intel Core i7 configuration runs at 2.8GHz with the dynamic ‘Turbo Boost’ able to get it up to 3.46GHz. Both the i5 and i7 configurations have 8MB L2 cache.

Look at that screen!

Without going further into the technical specs, which can be gleaned at Apple’s own site, its best to discuss what most often comes up with the iMac – how it looks. Considering the inner workings of the iMac are hidden behind the display, your eyes are immediately drawn to the screen. But that description does the iMac’s screen a huge disservice, considering how utterly gorgeous both the 21.5-inch and 27-inch Apple iMacs LED screens look.

The 21.5-inch display has a full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, while the 27-inch goes a step beyond at 2560×1440, with both screens having a 16:9 aspect ratio. Apple’s black bevel and silver design aesthetics seen on the Macbook Pros is carried over to the iMac, too, with the all-in-one computer resting on an attractive stand.

Component slots are hidden behind the screen, so as to avoid aesthetic distraction, which is a theme that runs through the Apple iMac range. Really, the only cables you see are those running to the keyboard and mouse, and one can’t help but believe Apple preferred you opted for completely wireless in that respect, too.

Trouble?

But, like everything Apple, the Apple iMac isn’t to everyone’s liking. The earliest batch of 27-inch Apple iMacs had severe problems with its screens that have since been ironed out and, though these computers are cheaper than their laptop counterparts, you still pay a premium for Apple product. Suffice to say, if you want any Apple product, you already know that.

Photo: Acer

As PCs get faster and faster and the chips inside them get smaller and smaller, we’re seeing the desktop tower slowly disappear and now we have all-in-one PCs. As it is with most pieces of technology, it can be a bit of a nightmare to find the right device. Helping those in need, we’re taking a look at the simple yet functional Acer Aspire all-in-one PC and the higher end creative beast, the Apple iMac.

The Acer Aspire Z5600 is quick and reliable

The Acer Aspire Z5600 is generally impressive all-in-one PC; it looks great with its silver finishing and provides excellent computing speeds. The Z5600 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 which clocks in at 2.33GHz. Acer have also thrown in 4GB of DDR3 memory to keep the machine running smoothly and efficiently. The Acer’s touch screen display shows off some wonderful clarity, and the graphics chipset supports high definition which is a definite plus. The Z5600 is performs wonderfully well and those looking for an all-in-one PC that can handle a bit of everything at speed should consider the Acer Aspire Z5600. The Acer Aspire Z5600 retails at £699.99.

The Apple iMac – perfect for creatives

Photo: Apple

The Apple iMac is one of the best performing, if not the best, all-in-one PC available on the market today. Apple has designed the iMac to look industrially smart while remaining sleek. It’s powered by an Intel Core 3 Duo 3.06GHz processor, which ensures that iMac is one of the fastest machines to either process images on Photoshop, encode music files in Apple’s iTunes, do a bit of media multitasking or even for those who want try out a few games on the Apple iMac. The display is immaculate is supported by an ATI Radeon HD 4670, which is a more than capable HD graphics card. The 21.5-inch Apple iMac retails at £892.06 and is highly recommended for those who like to edit anything from videos, music to images.

All-in-one PCs are definitely the way to go for those looking for computing power and looking to keep everything minimal and stylish. They definitely go a long way in meeting a whole lot of different uses and the Apple iMac, though being a little more expensive, is definitely one of the better machines available out there on the market.