The 3G iPhone may be getting all the attention this week, but let's not forget Apple's other product line, the Mac family, which is enjoying new-found success thanks to... Microsoft.

According to US investment house BMO Capital Markets, cited by AppleInsider, Apple will have shipped up to 2.5m Macs between April and June inclusive - enough for a 39 per cent year-on-year growth rate.

More to the point, that rate of increase is more than three times the industry average of 12.2 per cent.

Related stories

• Apple tops customer satisfaction poll as rivals' ratings slide
• Microsoft Mojave 'outs' secret Vista lovers
• Vista 'perfection' dream over for iPhone?
• Microsoft slams 'sensationalist' Vista analysis
• MS products just too cool to comprehend, say MS geeks
• Ballmer upset by Apple cart
• Microsoft bigwig jumps ship in re-org wake
• Vendor touts PC's Mac OS X compatibility
• Apple buys more PCBs - MacBook refresh imminent?
• Microsoft pledges to fight Vista 'myths'
• iPhone 3G to be in 'very short supply for weeks' - carrier
• Elgato transmits MacBook Air-friendly Freeview tuner
• Apple's Snow Leopard to cut the bloat from Mac OS X
• Apple tops tech support success poll
• Apple pushes past Toshiba in US

BMO analyst Keith Bachman told investors that it's largely the result of Windows Vista: "Thus far, user satisfaction ratings for Vista have been weak, and start-up times for Vista have been known to be much slower than the Mac OS X. Thus, more than 50 per cent of recent customers buying Macs in Apple retail stores are first-time buyers."

Pricing is helping too. Mac specs may not match directly PCs from rival suppliers, but Apple has the balance between price, performance and features about right, Bachman reckons. Experienced tech buyers may disagree, but if BMO's numbers prove correct, the Mac family is clearly winning over plenty of consumers.

Related Review
Apple MacBook Air

More comments…