iMac Shipping Estimates Improve to 'Within 24 Hours' in Apple's North American Online Stores

[MacRumors]

Just days after experiencing a dramatic improvement in shipping times for new orders through Apple's online stores in North America, the iMac has seen its availability improve once again with stock configurations now shipping "within 24 hours". The rapid improvement in availability indicates that Apple is quickly reaching supply-demand balance for the new iMac some three months after its debut.

Apple's online stores in other countries still show some lag in availability, with Australia seeing quotes of 3-5 business days for all models while Europe is generally seeing 5-7 business days for 21.5-inch models and 1-2 weeks for 27-inch models.

Even in the countries such as the United States and Canada where stock configurations are being quoted nearly immediate availability, build-to-order configurations are still seeing rather lengthy build times with quotes of 7-10 business days. The disparity suggests that Apple has been prioritizing the building of stock configurations in an effort to fill distribution channels, with custom orders holding lower priority.

Simple build-to-order customizations such as the addition of RAM or a different hard drive typically only add a few days to shipping estimates, so the current quoted timeframes should drop as availability continues to improve. Likewise, Apple's international online stores should also see their availability improve as increased stock filters throughout the company's distribution channels.

Article Link: iMac Shipping Estimates Improve to 'Within 24 Hours' in Apple's North American Online Stores

[tonyshaker]

Thats Great News

[SmileyBlast!]

Probably won't be in the market for a new iMac for a few more years.
They really do make my 2010 iMac look old though.

[vkd]

Brazilian site - www.apple.com.br - too has the 27" model available within 24 hours, whilst the smaller one is taking 3-4 days.

[Szarky]

Originally Posted by SmileyBlast!

Probably won't be in the market for a new iMac for a few more years.
They really do make my 2010 iMac look old though.

Try having a 2007 iMac
At least mine can run ML smoothly still. I did upgrade the ram to 4 GB when I first bought it though.
As tempted as I can by these new Macs I'll be picking up a 2nd gen Retina MBP next I think.

[nemesiswar]

They updated the Swedish store yesterday from 4-6 weeks to 1-2 weeks.

Bummer for me i have been waiting for 8 weeks now.

The 21,5" is updated today to 5-7 days.

[dgafitescu]

I have order my 27" with Fusion drive on 15th december , I didn't receive it yet .
I have check with the reseller today and nothing ( they blame Ireland).

And by the way with all taxes the iMac cost me around $3300 so I think there you have another reason why living in the USA pays off.

I am in Romania by the way.

[dwhittington]

I'm still seeing 2-3 weeks on my particular BTO configuration (3.2GHz + 2GB Video RAM + 3TB Fusion drive). When I placed my order on January 28th, I called Apple and found that the actual times were well beyond the 3 weeks estimated for this configuration. My expected ship date is March 21st.

To head off any questions or comments about my configuration or why I am willing to wait so long.... the specs meet my needs and I don't really care how long it takes because this is replacing an existing machine. Sure, I would have loved to have seen it in January. But I don't see any other way to get this as a BTO from Apple any sooner.

This is encouraging news to see the lead times continue to shrink. Crossing fingers.

[pnoyblazed]

this post just reminded me that I have to get my HD replaced by Apple... weird

[dwd3885]

I want to add a Magic Trackpad INSTEAD of Magic Mouse and the delay is 2-3 weeks! So it isn't even adding anything in the Mac!

[mbarriault]

Any customizations is still 2-3 weeks (in Canada).

My 2009 is feeling dated (technically the longest I've ever owned a single PC!), plan on ordering a somewhat-deck-out new one (27", 3.4 GHz, 1 TB Fusion, 2 GB video; will do RAM aftermarket and got a NAS so don't need 3 TB, also want to Boot Camp once in a while for gaming) with tax refund, not liking the wait time though!

[Jimmdean]

now just make fusion stock please...

[spazzcat]

I just ordered one earlier today and it said two weeks???

edit: Guess I should read. I ordered with with a wired keyboard. I guess that makes it a custom order...

[UnfetteredMind]

Originally Posted by pnoyblazed

this post just reminded me that I have to get my HD replaced by Apple... weird

Seagate 1TB repair extension? If so, thanks for that reminder, I need to do that too.

[drlove907]

Originally Posted by Jimmdean

now just make fusion stock please...

Exactly!

[MacFather]

improved supply chain or weak demand ?

[bigcat318]

How are people supposed to complain about shipping delays now?

I guess they can complain that their iMac arrived too soon.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by mbarriault

Any customizations is still 2-3 weeks (in Canada).

My 2009 is feeling dated (technically the longest I've ever owned a single PC!), plan on ordering a somewhat-deck-out new one (27", 3.4 GHz, 1 TB Fusion, 2 GB video; will do RAM aftermarket and got a NAS so don't need 3 TB, also want to Boot Camp once in a while for gaming) with tax refund, not liking the wait time though!

I have that exact spec. Believe me you'll be quite happy with it, especially Boot Camp for gaming. Pretty amazing what this system can do. It's worth the wait, - hang in there!

[HenryDJP]

Originally Posted by dgafitescu

I have order my 27" with Fusion drive on 15th december , I didn't receive it yet .
I have check with the reseller today and nothing ( they blame Ireland).

And by the way with all taxes the iMac cost me around $3300 so I think there you have another reason why living in the USA pays off.

I am in Romania by the way.

Come on... It's not like things in your country aren't easier and cheaper for you to get over people that live in the U.S.

[ValSalva]

Originally Posted by MacFather

improved supply chain or weak demand ?

You must be one of those analysts

[TrollToddington]

Not in the market for a new Mac until their all standard configurations go SSD. HDDs are so XX century!

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by SmileyBlast!

Probably won't be in the market for a new iMac for a few more years.
They really do make my 2010 iMac look old though.

I have one of those 2010s myself and prefer it. I saw the new ones in the Apple store recently and they sure are pretty, but the 2010 has more usable functionality and is easier to upgrade. Besides I could care less about how thin the edge of a desktop computer can be. Looking at the 2010 or 2013 head on (which is what we will all do the vast majority of the time we own either), the thin edge is irrelevant at best (why did that SD card reader move around to the back again???).

Apple has done a great job on making some of the masses believe that ever-thinner is some kind of major benefit- even when to achieve that thinness, Apple must remove hardware utility and/or shift that utility to separate accessories. I suppose eventually all Apple gear will be as thin as a single sheet of paper, at which point the focus could perhaps shift to other targets that actually make newer models do more than older models (not just a little faster or via accessory attachments). Frankly, in my own case, I could almost care less how good (or thin or fat) my Mac looks as opposed to how well it helps me do what I need done.

The 2010 model also still runs Snow Leopard which is a bridge back to any legacy software dependent on Rosetta while the 2013 model pretty much put legacy software out of its misery. There's pros & cons in moving on, but the leanings are entirely in the subjective: if you need something that runs on Rosetta, you need Rosetta. If an upgrade is not available, the older SL-capable Macs are THE way to go. I have a few crucial applications that require Rosetta (no upgrades available), so I appreciate being able to still use those programs.

I hope that someone at Apple will eventually decide that how pretty the case looks is only important to the aesthetics crowd or the first impression "grab". It's the invisible engine inside that is much of what drives the lasting experience for Mac buyers. Sure, we want good-looking computing devices... but not to the point (IMO) where we overly sacrifice the muscle to squeeze a few more millimeters out of the shell. I want Macs that help me get more things done, not something to enter in "who has the thinnest desktop?" contests.

[seble]

Originally Posted by dwd3885

I want to add a Magic Trackpad INSTEAD of Magic Mouse and the delay is 2-3 weeks! So it isn't even adding anything in the Mac!

Cause they're already boxed up, probably even already in the US if they weren't built here. Just get a mouse don't open it leave it in the wrap, take it to the apple store, put on your sweetest voice say you got the order wrong and ask to swap it out

[pnoyblazed]

Originally Posted by UnfetteredMind

Seagate 1TB repair extension? If so, thanks for that reminder, I need to do that too.

Yes sir, last day to do it thru Apple is on April 12

[Marx55]

That is NOT North America. Get the facts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America