Apple Inc., which is one of the computer and gadgetry giants, has informed the prospective buyers that there may be a delay in the shipping as the Christmas is round the corner due to which there is a huge demand for its latest iMac desktop system.

iMac, which was offered at price of $1,699 USD, was released in the month of October, in the retail market and helped in boosting the sales for Cupertino-based Apple, which sold more than 3 million Mac systems, in the third quarter. This was a 17 percent increase in the y-o-y sales as compared with the corresponding period in the year 2008

According to the weekend reports, Apple has been delaying the shipments of the 27-inch iMac due to reported problems with the graphics card.

But, this has not been accepted as the main cause of the delay.

The market research firm, NPD has informed that the up-surge in Mac sales was not limited to the 27-inch model, but the same was trend seen in the sales of the 21.5-inch iMac and the Mac mini.

Apple iPod sales have declined by 11 percent y-o-y for the October and November period.