Apple has shelved its revolutionary G4 Cube model, a year after launching it as the "coolest computer ever".

Apple said that, thanks to weak demand, it would suspend production, with a "small chance" that it would reintroduce an upgraded version at some point in the future.

"Cube owners love their Cubes, but most customers decided to buy our powerful Power Mac G4 minitowers instead," Apple vice president Philip Schiller said on Tuesday.

The move represents an embarrassing u-turn for Apple, which in July launched the Cube as an "entirely new class of computer".

'Amazing feat'

The firm marketed the Cube as a versatile model which could act as "moviemaker, jukebox, gameplayer and internet surfer", yet which, based around a 20-centimetre (8-inch) hardware cube, was one quarter the size of most personal computers.

The Cube also did not require a cooling fan.

"It is an amazing engineering and design feat, and we are thrilled to unveil it to our customers," company chief executive Steve Jobs said last July.

But sales of the model have continued to disappoint, and were singled out last year in a profits warning. And Tuesday's move, announced after the close of US markets, will likely to be viewed by investors as little of a surprise.

In after hours trading on Tuesday, Apple shares stood $0.33 lower at $23.51.