Apple has sent a timely reminder to all IT consumers of its core business by unveiling a sleek redesign of its iMac brand.

All focus recently has been on the firm's new iPhone mobile device, now released in the US and due to hit Europe shortly, as Apple tries to launch a third arm alongside its Macintosh PCs and ubiquitous iPod music players.

Released in time to capture the holiday season and back-to-school market, the new iMacs are the firm's thinnest desktop PCs yet, with prices set to vary from £594 to £891 depending on respective configurations, reports Reuters.

"The iMac has been really successful for us and we'd like to make it even better. We've managed to make it even thinner than before," commented Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.

"Apple has grown two to three times the market for the past several quarters," added analyst Shannon Cross of Cross Research. "This product launch should position them well."

Apple sold 634,000 iMacs in its third quarter, drawing in revenue of around £474 million and accounting for 18 per cent of the firm's total intake over the period.

In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'