Apple virtually dominated US retail computer sales in October, the NPD Group said in a report issued Friday. The new iMac, particularly the 21.5-inch model, was the top-selling desktop for the month while the 13-inch MacBook Pro was the leader in notebooks for the same period. The Mac creator in each case had multiple entries in the top 10 of each category, with the 27-inch iMac in third place for desktops while other MacBook models were eighth, ninth and tenth in notebooks.

The lead was partly helped by the launch of the new iMacs and MacBooks and the expected boost to sales; the 13-inch MacBook Pro has regularly been a strong seller for Apple, however, and the company has lately advertised it as its "bestselling Mac" at retail and online. A halo effect from the iPhone and iPod, as well as Apple's simpler model range, may also have played small parts.

The releases also appeared at the same time as Windows 7, which may have paradoxically assisted Apple. As buyers were deliberately holding off of new PC purchases until Windows 7 was preloaded from October 22nd onwards, sales of Windows systems were artificially depressed up until the very last week of the month. Retail sales are also more likely to favor Apple where companies like Dell have traditionally been stronger through online sales and other direct channels.

Apple is also known to have earned half of retail revenue during October, though this was owed primarily to average selling prices almost three times higher than for the typical Windows desktop or notebook.