Apple laptops are increasingly popular, with two research firms finding that Macbooks and Macbook Pros are selling like hotcakes, IT Pro reports.

NDP reveals that Apple's share of the laptop retail market increased by 2.2 per cent in June, compared to the same month a year before.

Meanwhile, IDC found that Apple is now placed third in terms of worldwide computer makers, behind Dell and HP. This is the first time since 1996 that the company has held this third position.

In its latest quarterly financial statement, Apple revealed that it had sold around 1.8 million Macs, which was a massive 33 per cent rise compared to the same quarter in 2006.

All this good news for Apple at a time when press coverage of the firm is focusing primarily on the new iPhone, which is due to launch in the UK later this year.

The swish phone caused a sensation when it was released in the US, and it emerged in a Financial Times report that Apple has signed a deal with T-Mobile, Orange and O2 to sell the unit in Europe.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)