Constraints on iMac Shipments Soon to End, Claim Parts Suppliers

[Moonjumper]

There is a lead time on setting up production facilities. They would have had to takes some guesses on how quickly they could scale technologies to their volumes. Their estimates were a bit off. i don't call that a screw up.

I don't want Apple to play it too safe, otherwise we wouldn't have products such as the iPad (remember how many people were saying it was going to fail?).

[gregwyattjr]

"It's simple, we ship display-less iMacs."
-Scott Forstall

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by CaptMike

There will be a new version out by the time I receive my current order.

I doubt that. It looks like you'll be getting your current order very soon.

Apple needs to spread their product releases throughout the year to prevent excessive Quarterly report variation. Current iMac, iPad and iPhone sales should carry the 1st quarter fairly well. The iPhone 5s should come out at the end of the 1st quarter or early 2nd. MacBook updates should appear pre back-to-school followed by a bump in the iMac. I would expect new iPads in the 3rd quarter. I know my predictions don't match those of the so-called analysts, but this is what my psycho abilities are predicting.

[technopimp]

I'm not sure spec-bumping the previous gen with this one right around the corner would have been the "right thing to do", nor would it have necessarily been "dead easy". They would have still engineering to do to design the new boards/parts to fit into the old chassis, which would have either taken time away from the team working on the new design or cost more money that they didn't need to spend when a total redesign was <6 months away.

Plus, everyone who had then bought an Ivy Bridge iMac in August would now be fuming "OMG I JUST BOUGHT THIS AND NOW IT'S CRAP BECAUSE THE THIN IS OUT" just like with the iPad 4.

[Iamthinking]

I can wait, but the problem is I'm spending a school budget, which notices that I haven't spent my last years budget (until the macs arrive, I can't get an invoice). Therefor, it appears to the bean counters that I don't need the budget, since I didn't spend last years' which means no budget for computers this year!

....thanks Apple!

[ElTorro]

Originally Posted by nazaar

arrggg... I'm disgruntled that 2 year old iMac DVD drive doesn't work anymore (IT'S LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD!!!!!).
Why should I give you more $ Apple, where's the quality!?!?!

I convinced my company to use 27" iMacs, but every single one had a major issue within 2 years. One lost the network card, one had a logic board failure, and the two others had a HD failure. Makes me look bad as my whole pitch to buying them was threir good quality and how reliable they were.

[thekev]

Originally Posted by TallGuyGT

I completely agree with this. I think it's way too early to judge Tim Cook overall, but this was a major and avoidable screw up. The previous body could have been upgraded to Ivy Bridge and new GPU last summer, so they would have had ample stock for back-to-school and the holidays. As it was, they were selling old tech for back-to-school and next to nothing for the holidays. I expect more from a supply chain guru. And now how long will the upgrade cycle be for Haswell, which drops this summer?

I didn't anticipate any real imac changes until next year. I wasn't even sure we'd see major macbook pro changes this year. The reasoning was I thought they'd test some of their display changes at the macbook pro level prior to trying any of it on a 27" display.

[myuserid08]

I've just ordered a replacement 27" - the guy I spoke to said ignore 3-4 weeks - they now ship within 7 days!

[arbitter]

Originally Posted by zoffdino

What is Tim Cook thinking lately? The Maps fiasco (which you can reasonably blame Scott Forstall when he told Cook "it's ready"), and now the iMac conundrum.

I agree with the iMac issues, but I must disagree with the maps. For me it's really been blown out of proportion. They wanted to give more functionality, and if Google did it, Google wanted more branding, which Apple did not desire. I've never encountered any trouble using Apple Maps.

And if you did have problems with Apple Maps, it's still a good thing it got launched, since now Google has made it's own Maps 'without restrictions' they had when it was a native app. It's truly a win for the consumers.

[TouchMint.com]

This is good to hear. I gotta say my 50+ day wait was pretty painful but worth it. The 27inch is super nice!

[Mike Valmike]

Originally Posted by Nobita

And then hopefully we will see the new thin thunderbolt display this year

^^^This.

I went from not caring about the ATD ever, to wanting the new one, after realizing that the configuration constraints on the new iMac are too serious and significant to allow me to have the build I want. And that the solution probably lies in the ATD.

CSB for those who are interested in this sort of thing

So I use my Mac for three things, for which it must be block-of-iron reliable and perform:
1. Media server for the entire home, out of iTunes library w/ATV3s;
2. Editing and archiving family photos, audio, and video (I'm that guy); and
3. Using, without impact, the physical terminal as the central productivity point for the home... i.e. Office, financial, web, writing, etc.

My wife and kids use iDevices the 98% of the time they don't need a "truck," to use the Steve Jobs term.

So, four years ago, I bought a maxed-out iMac and for a long time it performed as needed in these tasks. However in the interim it wore down, video went from DVD-quality to 1080p, archiving needs went up, and the playback device changed from Xbox 360 to ATV3. It was time for a new iMac, and it was the end of 2011 so I figured what the heck, only a matter of months now and I can just get the new model. The SSD prices were untenable in the 2011 model, so it was just as well.

Around June, WWDC came and went with no new iMac. My current iMac gave up, even maxed out it couldn't keep up anymore and I retired it to light duty as a cash register at my business. I figured it was any day now that the new iMacs would surely land, so I bought at a sweet discount the 2012 cMBP in a base config and maxed out the RAM, and a TB drive array for the video archives. The idea being I could just flip the cMBP after settling into the new permanent 2012 iMac. Minimal loss, all good.

Well, we all know it took until, well it's still not widely available, the 2012 iMac. And what's worse, the CTO for it is terrible: $1300 for an SSD??!?! And the fusion option, while interesting, requires aftermarket work for me: 128GB worth of SSD isn't enough, even with a 3TB HDD. So whether I wanted to get a blade SSD and then maybe max out the HDD, or just get a 1TB HDD config and replace it outright with a much-cheaper-than-$1300-SSD-480GB-or-so, either way I need to have an AAR do it because I don't plan to screw up my non-user-serviceable machine by breaking it open. Heck, the 2012 Mac Mini I use as a POS server at my business was better suited to the task than the new iMac, and a damned sight cheaper too, even max configged. Why not just get one of those? But the answer was even better than that.

The MBP has performed well, but the display is just too damned small and it sorely needs an SSD. I have SSDs at work and at my business and once you've gone flash, you never go back. I don't game on my computers (my business is a vintage arcade and game store, filling that need) so the GT680MX GPU means nothing to me. Intel graphics 4k are plenty for HD video editing. Processor speed kinda does matter but I'll live with it for now. What was I to do for the permanent solution? I wanted to get another four or five years out of ONE Mac, especially considering that by 2018, none of us might need a computer anymore, it might all be cloud and mobile and so on.

Enter the Mac Pro. Or whatever it's going to be -- Tim Cook's promise didn't actually nail that down. (He said it would be "something great for our pro users later in 2013"). Even if it was just the existing Mac Pro updated to new CPUs, Thunderbolt, and USB3, it would fit the bill. I could mix and match SSDs and HDDs all I wanted, it was up to the task of 24/7/365 server duty, and all expansion and modification options would be on the table.

But that's "later in 2013."

Which could mean spring of 2014 the way Apple is being run these days.

What to do?

I realized finally that the ATD was the link in the chain that would tide me over. If the new ATD came out and I used it to solve my too-small-display problem, I could then slap an OWC SSD into my cMBP myself, continue to run my TB video repository drive array, and just turn off the power-saving on the cMBP and stick it on a stand as though it were a 2012 Mac Mini. Which, in essence, is precisely what it is. They share the same architecture to a considerable degree. THEN, when the Mac Pro or whatever comes out, that's the only part I have to replace. The rest stays as it is, the ATD is already there, I can probably yank the HDDs out of the LaCie enclosure and just slap them inside the Pro, and then resell the enclosure and the cMBP, losing a couple hundred bucks maybe on depreciation. Meanwhile, uninterrupted service by the unit.

I've already ordered the SSD. But to get going on this "for reals," I need the new ATD to be released. Hopefully now, with this news, it won't be long.

[1Alec1]

Originally Posted by zoffdino

It was clear that the new iMac wasn't ready in November. Launching a major product line with only a few hundred thousand units in stock during the holiday quarter? That caused a 700,000 iMacs backlog which Apple has to fill.

I don't know how well 2011 iMacs would have sold in December 2012. He should have done some minor update to them (just newer parts) instead of redesigning the iMac in such a rushed manner.

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Originally Posted by technopimp

Plus, everyone who had then bought an Ivy Bridge iMac in August would now be fuming "OMG I JUST BOUGHT THIS AND NOW IT'S CRAP BECAUSE THE THIN IS OUT" just like with the iPad 4.

No, the older design is better. It has an SD card slot on the right instead of on the back, it has FireWire, you can upgrade the RAM yourself and save lots of money, and it has a DVD drive (not that useful but whatever). Also, it doesn't have as big of an awkward bulge on the back.

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Originally Posted by nazaar

arrggg... I'm disgruntled that 2 year old iMac DVD drive doesn't work anymore (IT'S LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD!!!!!).
Why should I give you more $ Apple, where's the quality!?!?!

Don't expect good DVD drives from Apple. It's their weakness. Any Apple computer you get will have DVD drive problems. All those slot-loading machines spit the discs out randomly. Even my tray-loading Mac Pro has issues ejecting sometimes because of the metal door in front of the drive.

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Originally Posted by Nobita

And then hopefully we will see the new thin thunderbolt display this year

I don't like the thin iMac, but the thin TB display would be amazing!

[iChrist]

Originally Posted by petsk

It's now the seventh week I'm waiting for my iMac and it will take another few weeks before I get it according to my premium reseller. Nice work crapple!

Yes. Hopefully when you finally get it there is no issue with screen, burn in, yellow, or other LG problems.

[CosmoCopus]

After reading a lot the comments in some of these threads it makes a person want to avoid buying Apple products.

[xkmxkmxlmx]

Originally Posted by CosmoCopus

After reading a lot the comments in some of these threads it makes a person want to avoid buying Apple products.

It's kinda made me want to avoid the *people* buying the Apple products.

[nazaar]

Originally Posted by JHankwitz

Every company has quality problems. Apple has fewer than any other computer manufacturer according to Consumer Reports. It's a good idea to purchase the 3 year AppleCare plan with all hardware. It would not only replace your DVD, but it provides full genius and phone support for the 3 years. A really good deal.

That's all fine and dandy, but my real point here is that the machine is 2 years old (maybe). This coupled with the screen issues on my iMac doesn't make me want to throw more $ at apple. They are supposedly a premium brand... not now IMO.

[Lancer]

I've been waiting almost 2 months (59 days and counting) for my 27", placed my order Dec 1st and still nothing!

[puckhead193]

Originally Posted by Lancer

I've been waiting almost 2 months (59 days and counting) for my 27", placed my order Dec 1st and still nothing!

that's crazy!! when are supplies going to be "normal" again? End of February? After this latest project from hell i'm working on, i'm done editing on a MBP The only thing saving me is my aeron chair

[Lancer]

Originally Posted by puckhead193

that's crazy!! when are supplies going to be "normal" again? End of February? After this latest project from hell i'm working on, i'm done editing on a MBP The only thing saving me is my aeron chair

I'm been working on my 2005 G5 Tower to get the latest Photoshop project done. At least I have a 24" LCD

[MSM Hobbes]

Originally Posted by ElTorro

I convinced my company to use 27" iMacs, but every single one had a major issue within 2 years. One lost the network card, one had a logic board failure, and the two others had a HD failure. Makes me look bad as my whole pitch to buying them was threir good quality and how reliable they were.

Ok, I'll bite… what was Apple's response? Did you have Apple Care? What was the root cause for these failures? What does your company do in regards to the iMacs (how are they used)? Any issues with electricity in your circuits?

Just wondering…

[Lancer]

Good news I just got an email and my new 27" should be here in a week!

'Only' taken 8 weeks so far.

[unplugme71]

Originally Posted by ElTorro

I convinced my company to use 27" iMacs, but every single one had a major issue within 2 years. One lost the network card, one had a logic board failure, and the two others had a HD failure. Makes me look bad as my whole pitch to buying them was threir good quality and how reliable they were.

and if you bought Dell, you'd have 2 file servers with RAID card failures, 7 workstations have their motherboards replaced, 3 with graphics card failures, 4 hard drives, and 1 power supply failure.

So what's your point? Electronics can fail, especially when mass produced?

Heck, my 2006 Civic had 7 or 8 recalls in the 1 year I owned it.

[Rizzn]

Apple, maybe you'd sell more macs if the designs weren't so terrible. Maybe people actually like upgrading their components.

[dpalme]

Oh I believe it is perfectly fine and appropriate to judge Tim Cook at this point. The debacles so far are worthy of complaint and holding his feet to the fire.

I am not saying that he should be fired, but his leadership abilities at this point are in dire need of improvement. I see Apple making the exact same mistakes as IBM and Microsoft before them; they think they are too big to fail.

[xofruitcake]

Originally Posted by TallGuyGT

I completely agree with this. I think it's way too early to judge Tim Cook overall, but this was a major and avoidable screw up. The previous body could have been upgraded to Ivy Bridge and new GPU last summer, so they would have had ample stock for back-to-school and the holidays. As it was, they were selling old tech for back-to-school and next to nothing for the holidays. I expect more from a supply chain guru. And now how long will the upgrade cycle be for Haswell, which drops this summer?

heh heh, you guys probably has never get involve of building any real electronic products and just want to play Monday morning quarterback. Building a complicated product like IMac is not like you just go to home depot and pick up a nut here, a bolt there and put them together. One of the thing that Apple has been trying to do is to get latest technology (in cell touch for Iphone 5, GF2 LCD for Ipad mini) into their product line. Apple need to put in a firm order 6-9 months before the product shipped. The component has to arrive at Foxconn (or other contract assembly site) 2 to 3 months before product shipped. Guess what, 6 to 9 months before product launch, component makers just start to ramp up their own production. And with a newly designed component, suppliers can easily run into manufacturing problem and you get low production for the first few months. Alternative is Apple only use component that is already fully ramp up 6-9 months before product launch. And the arm chair quarter back will complaint that Apple does not use cutting edge technology in their product.