San Francisco  - Apple's success is far from confined to the iPhone. The iconic device maker is now the third largest computer maker in the US according to a report Thursday by research firm Gartner.

According to Gartner, Mac sales grew 38 per cent in the second quarter to 1.4 million unit, behind only Dell with 5.25 million sales and HP with 4.16 million sales.

Rival firm IDC gave Apple slightly lower numbers, with the result that it was in fourth place behind Acer/Gateway/PackardBell.

For the worldwide market Apple was in sixth place.

The impressive performance came less than a week after Apple debuted its iPhone 3G and garnered over a million sales worldwide over its first weekend.

Analysts say the widespread adoption of iPhones and iPods has driven buyers to Apple's laptops and desktop computers. If the multi-function iPhone and iPod Touch devices are counted as computers, Apple's sales would be a lot closer to those of Dell and HP.

According to Gartner, total US PC shipments grew 4 per cent to 16.4 million units - though consumers are increasingly turning to low-end machines as a way to save money.

"Home mobile PCs continue to have momentum in the US market. But the retail space was a harsh pricing environment during the quarter," according to Mika Kitagawa, the Gartner analyst in charge of the report.

IDC said that worldwide PC shipments rose 15.3 per cent to 70.6 million units. The top seller was HP which grew 16.8 per cent to 13.3 million units shipped, and a 18.9 per cent market share. Dell was in second, with 11.6 million units - a growth of 21.4 per cent for a 16.4 per cent share. Third-ranked Acer grew 63.5 per cent with 6.97 million units and a 9.9 per cent share. Fourth placed Lenovo grew 14.6 per cent. It sold 5.6 million units for a 7.9 per cent market share, while Toshiba grew 28.5 per cent to 3.1 million units and a 4.4 per cent share. dpa ag mfArabLeague-Labour/ Arab states' unemployment rate worst worldwide - labour report =

Cairo (dpa) - Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mussa said Thursday that the high unemployment rate in the Arab world is "extremely dangerous" after a report by the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO) said it is the worst worldwide.

Mussa said that the high rates, which were more than 66 per cent in some Arab countries, reveal that there is a flaw in the educational system in these countries and that it needs to be revised.

"Creating new jobs and increasing skills of human resources will result in more investments and openness on the world," said Mussa during the launch of ALO report.

The report entitled "Employment and Unemployment in the Arab States: Towards Effective Policies and Mechanisms" shows that the general rate of unemployment in Arab countries is more than 14 per cent, which means that the Arab region has more than 17 million people struck by unemployment.

However, the unemployment rate of Arab youth was estimated at 25 per cent, the report said, adding that it exceeded 23 per cent among women.

The report described unemployment rates in the Arab countries as the worst world wide noting that it will get worse unless necessary steps are taken to curb it.

Ahmed Luqman, Director General of the ALO said that the first step to decrease these rates is to better qualify university graduates and provide them with the necessary skills that meet the needs of the job market. (dpa)