It’s common knowledge that Apple’s desktop computers are fairly popular, but according to research compiled by Parks Associates, the iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro comprise the most sought-after product line in the desktop market – beating off competition from Dell in second place. Although the MacBook range remains extremely popular – more so than the desktop offerings from Apple – portables weren’t considered in Parks’ study, but even so, with some reputable brands for company including the likes of HP and Acer, it would seem the lure of a computer bearing that iconic bitten-apple logo is very strong indeed.
The research covered "intended brands for desktop purchases" during this holiday season, and although Dell is usually the consumer choice for a desktop machine, Apple’s Mac range has – for the first time in the history of the survey – leapfrogged its rival to the summit.
Although there are only three variants of desktop Mac, Apple has done a fairly good job of diversifying what is available to the consumer. The Mac mini, for example, is by far the cheapest way of running OS X, and although the base level model has a respectable inventory of hardware, power users can readily upgrade to add more RAM, storage, and other such upgrades.
The iMac, which got a major design overhaul late last year, serves as the all-in-one, and is often targeted by families looking for a reliable computer to share. As has been the case throughout Apple’s computing product line in recent times, the company did away with the optical drive, enabling the iMac to be that much thinner, and although it still has some flaws – lack of a Retina-esque display, for example – it’s the most popular desktop Mac.
The Mac Pro, which has finally been upgraded after several years of nothingness, now offers a much smaller form factor, and although it does pack a substantial amount of power, the new specialized model for power users has drawn criticism for its lack of upgrade-ability.
John Barrett, director of Consumer Analytics at Parks Associates, noted that despite Apple only making it to third spot in 2011 and 2012, "Apple has displaced [Dell], making Apple now the most popular brand across even more key CE categories.”
(Source: ParksAssociates)
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