Yes
I received multiple emails. 1) Order received. 2) Order processed/accepted. 3) Part of order shipped. 4) Remainder of order shipped. 5) Final receipt.
Of course, it's possible not to get emails, so maybe that's what happened to the powerbook person. Or maybe apple's computers had a glitch with his order. That said, they were very good in my case about keeping me updated (and remarkably quick, in getting my iMac from Taiwan to me in 2 days).