Shipping Estimates for New 27-Inch iMac Already Slip to 3-4 Weeks

[MacRumors]

Just hours after Apple began taking orders for the new iMac, shipping estimates in the company's online store for the stock 27-inch models have slipped from the original 2-3 weeks to 3-4 weeks. Estimates for the stock 21.5-inch models remain at 1-3 days.

Supplies of the new iMac are expected to be constrained into 2013 as Apple's suppliers deal with the challenges of producing thinner displays laminated directly to the cover glass, with the larger 27-inch panels being particularly difficult to produce.

Article Link: Shipping Estimates for New 27-Inch iMac Already Slip to 3-4 Weeks

[losthorse]

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

Tim Cook is said to be an expert at managing the supply chain, so why is it that when I went into my local Apple store this morning there were no iMacs to be seen?

They should not have announced the new iMac until January when they will truly be available.

Apple is still exceptional at setting high expectations, generating buzz about the latest new gizmo, etc. The problem is they are consistently falling short when it comes time to deliver on the hype they created.

Fail.

[Spink10]

NO - this is lame

[Speedy Gonzalez]

this smells to apple marketing strategies already

[apfeljonas]

Originally Posted by losthorse

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

Tim Cook is said to be an expert at managing the supply chain, so why is it that when I went into my local Apple store this morning there were no iMacs to be seen?

They should not have announced the new iMac until January when they will truly be available.

Apple is still exceptional at setting high expectations, generating buzz about the latest new gizmo, etc. The problem is they are consistently falling short when it comes time to deliver on the hype they created.

Fail.

Fail copy and paste.

[wlossw]

I think that the "production delays" are part of the marketing strategy.

By creating a perception of scarcity they feed into irrational impulse driven demand.

Haven't you noticed how apple devices always "sell out"? They are produced in quantities designed to do so.

The iMac is no different. Hype drives sales. Perceived scarcity builds hype. Very simple.

It makes the people that rush out and blow 3 grand on a desktop computer feel superior for a few days/weeks/months.

I'll tell you when I ordered my rMBP the experience was all the more exciting because I had to wait to have it delivered, and was the only person I knew that had one.

Now you can walk into best-buy and buy one.... it's lost it's exclusivity

[thedeejay]

Originally Posted by wlossw

I think that the "production delays" are part of the marketing strategy.

By creating a perception of scarcity they feed into irrational impulse driven demand.

Haven't you noticed how apple devices always "sell out"? They are produced in quantities designed to do so.

The iMac is no different. Hype drives sales. Perceived scarcity builds hype. Very simple.

It makes the people that rush out and blow 3 grand on a desktop computer feel superior for a few days/weeks/months.

I'll tell you when I ordered my rMBP the experience was all the more exciting because I had to wait to have it delivered, and was the only person I knew that had one.

Now you can walk into best-buy and buy one.... it's lost it's exclusivity

I agree with you 100%. I've always thought that as well. But the thing is, because of their amazing Marketing tactics they're one of the top companies. Without their Marketing they'd just be another tech company. Well aside from their retail stores, customer service and superior quality products.

[Davi-T]

Bought at spec-ed out BTO 27" at 3am in the morning last night. I wouldn't be surprised if 3 - 4 weeks doubles later today.

[THOPMedia]

Glad I got mine within 1/2 hour of release. 2-3 weeks for me. (However, I am also getting mine shipped from the US to NZ. so that will add a bit of time.

[WilliamLondon]

Originally Posted by wlossw

I think that the "production delays" are part of the marketing strategy.

By creating a perception of scarcity they feed into irrational impulse driven demand.

Haven't you noticed how apple devices always "sell out"? They are produced in quantities designed to do so.

The iMac is no different. Hype drives sales. Perceived scarcity builds hype. Very simple.

It makes the people that rush out and blow 3 grand on a desktop computer feel superior for a few days/weeks/months.

I'll tell you when I ordered my rMBP the experience was all the more exciting because I had to wait to have it delivered, and was the only person I knew that had one.

Now you can walk into best-buy and buy one.... it's lost it's exclusivity

All these conspiracy theories on Apple's marketing, I'll tell you are simply *not* true.

Any delay in getting a product into the hands of the consumer equates to time the consumer will think about jumping to a competitor's offering. What Apple tries to do (and this is up to debate about whether they do it well) is balance having enough stock to meet day 1 and early demand without spending so much money on warehousing these x million units to meet demand for x time beyond early days post launch. It's a balancing act, and the big point these conspiracies ignore is that logistics and warehousing cost a company a lot of money. Can you imagine how much money is required to ship (from manufacturing) and store (before launch, which is corporate money sitting in a warehouse) millions of product units in warehouses ready for shipment all over the planet? It's not pocket change is all I can say.

The other thing these conspiracies ignore is that the shareholders want one thing - sales. They don't want hype of sales (however you imagine that is realised), they want sales. They don't want to lose customers who have to wait too long after launch, or before - try managing that act. What if they overestimate demand and then have stock sitting in warehouses with no one to buy the items? What if they wait too long to launch (before ideal day 1 stock levels are achieved) and miss an entire selling season with the product? These affects revenue and profit margin.

The whole chain from inception to putting the product in the hands of the consumer is complex and adding a conspiracy into the equation is simply something that doesn't happen.

[losthorse]

Originally Posted by apfeljonas

Fail copy and paste.

True, but this was a better place for it.

[Friend Trend]

Ordered my 27" pimped out custom configuration at 12:54 EST.

Delivery date on the confirmation say 2 Jan - 7 Jan

[Jbach67]

Originally Posted by Friend Trend

Ordered my 27" pimped out custom configuration at 12:54 EST.

Delivery date on the confirmation say 2 Jan - 7 Jan

Surprising, since it wasn't available to order when I checked at 12:30. And when I ordered a semi pimped 27 inch (fusion, 680 GPU, i7) at 3:15am , it still said shipping in 2 to 3 weeks, and my delivery date is Dec 24th to Dec 31st. Hard to believe a 3 TB drive or RAM could be an issue to pushing it a week or two later.

[Friend Trend]

Originally Posted by Friend Trend

Ordered my 27" pimped out custom configuration at 12:54 EST.

Delivery date on the confirmation say 2 Jan - 7 Jan

Originally Posted by Jbach67

Surprising, since it wasn't available to order when I checked at 12:30. And when I ordered a semi pimped 27 inch (fusion, 680 GPU, i7) at 3:15am , it still said shipping in 2 to 3 weeks, and my delivery date is Dec 24th to Dec 31st. Hard to believe a 3 TB drive or RAM could be an issue to pushing it a week or two later.

Oops - sorry, to be clear, I ordered at 12:54PM.

[Aluminum213]

it was still 2-3 weeks as of 8am EST this morning when I bought it, I must have got lucky

[extricated]

Originally Posted by losthorse

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

I agree with your further assessments, but I don't think Apple is in a decline.

I truly feel they are stumbling in the wake of leadership changes (to include the loss of Steve Jobs). They're also, perhaps, afraid to break the mold of releasing products on a particular schedule.

Of course, I have no basis to know these things, but I would hope Apple is learning from it's recent "issues" and will make the neccessary adjustments in the future.

[komodrone]

Originally Posted by losthorse

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

Tim Cook is said to be an expert at managing the supply chain, so why is it that when I went into my local Apple store this morning there were no iMacs to be seen?

They should not have announced the new iMac until January when they will truly be available.

Apple is still exceptional at setting high expectations, generating buzz about the latest new gizmo, etc. The problem is they are consistently falling short when it comes time to deliver on the hype they created.

Fail.

you're an expert at complaining.

[Rogifan]

Why on earth would Apple need to constrain supply to increase hype & demand? I'm sure Tim Cook would rather have people walking out of Apple stores with an iMac in hand rather than being told to come back in 3 weeks. You can't just assume people will wait for the supply and not purchase something else. Anyway would seeing that the iMac is available for deliery right away make someone less likely to purchase than if it has a 4 week shipping delay?

[anutharoundu]

For double the graphics card and a better processor I think the extra price is for sure worth it.

[Ktulu]

I have a 2-3 week shipping time and a delivery window of:
Dec 24 - Dec 31

And this is the configuration:

27"
3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) & User's Guide

Last check my shipping times had not changed and my delivery times had not changed.

Just FYI for anyone who is keeping track.

[Luap]

Originally Posted by losthorse

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

Tim Cook is said to be an expert at managing the supply chain, so why is it that when I went into my local Apple store this morning there were no iMacs to be seen?

They should not have announced the new iMac until January when they will truly be available.

Apple is still exceptional at setting high expectations, generating buzz about the latest new gizmo, etc. The problem is they are consistently falling short when it comes time to deliver on the hype they created.

Fail.

Oh well. Unfortunately for you, no one gives a crap about your self opinionated drivel.
10 out of 10 for copy paste skills though. Bravo..

[lizardofwoz]

I am becoming expert at interpreting AppleSpeak...

Delivery of special order 27" iMacs?

Mid-January, if you are lucky.

iMac, insanely LATE

[timcullis]

Originally Posted by lizardofwoz

Delivery of special order 27" iMacs? Mid-January, if you are lucky.

So I must really be lucky to have a custom order scheduled for 21 December delivery.

And with a following wind bringing the tea clippers from China, it might even arrive a few days early.

[lizardofwoz]

Originally Posted by timcullis

So I must really be lucky to have a custom order scheduled for 21 December delivery.

And with a following wind bringing the tea clippers from China, it might even arrive a few days early.

Good luck with the Cutty Sark delivery system.

Scheduled is not delivered

[HarryKNN21]

Originally Posted by losthorse

I can't help but look at the last year and think that Apple is in a decline... so sad.

Tim Cook is said to be an expert at managing the supply chain, so why is it that when I went into my local Apple store this morning there were no iMacs to be seen?

They should not have announced the new iMac until January when they will truly be available.

Apple is still exceptional at setting high expectations, generating buzz about the latest new gizmo, etc. The problem is they are consistently falling short when it comes time to deliver on the hype they created.

Fail.

So what about if they announce the iMac in January and suddenly found out nobody is interested in it anymore because they all bough Dell in 2012 Christmas?

Also many people do want BTO machines over a stock one, Apple use online pre-orders to predict the demand of BTO machines is beneficial to everyone as well and as we know BTO machines do take longer to deliver aren't they?