Resellers Offer Additional Details on Mac Supply Constraints

[Ammo]

It DOES make sense to update the MBP.

Think about it...if the Macbook gets a refresh, what's the incentive for customers to buy the low end MBP when the difference isn't worth the cost? (an assumption, but if the Macbook gets updated and the Pro doesn't, wouldn't the specs be really...really similar? An aluminum enclosure ain't worth $200)

If the 2.53 MBP becomes the low end, I'm buying ASAP.

 

[speck2001]

New iMac and Mini?

I work in the post-production industry in L.A., and upon visiting an industry favorite Mac reseller this morning, I overheard someone come in to buy a Mac Mini. The clerk advised him to come back in two weeks when the new ones would be available. I then inquired and they stated that the new iMac and Mac Mini hardware would be announced in two weeks.

 

[jmcguckin]

I work in the post-production industry in L.A., and upon visiting an industry favorite Mac reseller this morning, I overheard someone come in to buy a Mac Mini. The clerk advised him to come back in two weeks when the new ones would be available. I then inquired and they stated that the new iMac and Mac Mini hardware would be announced in two weeks.

that's really surprising considering the protocol that employees at electronics retailers are expected to follow (regardless of whether said employee could back his statement about the upcoming refresh with facts)... I've asked similar questions prior to "alleged" product line refreshes before, both at my neighborhood Best Buy and even at my local Apple Store, and every time I've gotten the canned "we don't know anything for sure, so we can't promise anything" answer- one that I'm pretty sure is a requirement.

hopefully this employee's manager didn't also overhear this conversation or he/she could find themselves in trouble... it's not that I'm not also aware of the upcoming refresh, it's just that it's not professional for anyone to make a comment/suggestion like this, particularly since nothing has been officially announced yet (even though I have to admit I'd probably have wanted to say something to this customer as well, knowing that there was a good chance they could get much more for their money by waiting a couple weeks).

 

[malcolm123]

I ordered a new MBP 13" on Tuesday in the late evening. When I ordered it, it said shipping within 1-3 days. Still hasn't shipped yet, so I was concerned that it was about to be updated. I went to the Apple Store just now, however, and it looks like it's shipping within 24 hours now. What gives?!

 

[malcolm123]

I still have the option to cancel; I'm wondering if I should, but I'm so anxious to get the damn thing.

 

[PimpDaddy]

that's really surprising considering the protocol that employees at electronics retailers are expected to follow (regardless of whether said employee could back his statement about the upcoming refresh with facts)... I've asked similar questions prior to "alleged" product line refreshes before, both at my neighborhood Best Buy and even at my local Apple Store, and every time I've gotten the canned "we don't know anything for sure, so we can't promise anything" answer- one that I'm pretty sure is a requirement.

hopefully this employee's manager didn't also overhear this conversation or he/she could find themselves in trouble... it's not that I'm not also aware of the upcoming refresh, it's just that it's not professional for anyone to make a comment/suggestion like this, particularly since nothing has been officially announced yet (even though I have to admit I'd probably have wanted to say something to this customer as well, knowing that there was a good chance they could get much more for their money by waiting a couple weeks).

So just because YOU haven't been able to get some potential insider info it can't occur to anybody else? 🙂

Also I think it's very professional to give good customers a hint about possible upcoming products(if it's got something to it). Things like that are what will probably make the customer more likely to come back in the future.

 

[senseless]

Capacitor replacement

You have a desoldering station, right? Removing caps on multilayer pcbs can be a bear, even with one.



>> I opened it up and there were a bunch of fat leaky capacitors 😱. So I start researching that issue and find out that they had a repair program that ended last January 🙁

So, even though I am ordering capacitors to see if I can get some more life out of that machine, I figured it was really time to upgrade. <<

 

[jmcguckin]

So just because YOU haven't been able to get some potential insider info it can't occur to anybody else? 🙂

Also I think it's very professional to give good customers a hint about possible upcoming products(if it's got something to it). Things like that are what will probably make the customer more likely to come back in the future.

unless I read the OP incorrectly, this isn't a case of a customer coming in and "trying to get insider info" before making a purchase- rather it's a case of an employee volunteering information to a prospective customer without having anything officially and/or publicly announced to base his/her comments on... don't get me wrong, I'd be very thankful if I was this customer and a well-meaning employee saved me the grief of buying a product and then finding out I could've gotten a lot more for my money if I'd just waited a couple weeks (this assuming that these "2 weeks until an iMac/Mac mini product refresh" rumors are true), but well-meaning or not, it's still against protocol.

here's the thing- I've been in management before and had to approach (or at least lightly reprimand) employees for not following company policies, and that's the perspective I'm looking at this situation from... because believe me, on a personal basis, I'd jump on the chance to share "insider info" with someone!

 

[nivekgrebor]

So should I wait, or just buy the current iMac?

I'm in desperate need of a new computer for this finance class i'm in... should i tough it out and work in the library for a couple weeks, or just buy the current iMac???? what do u all think? what are the reasonable rumors of what's to be added to a new model? just the SD slot and possibly blu-ray?

 

[yoyon8]

My 2 cents

I'm in desperate need of a new computer for this finance class i'm in... should i tough it out and work in the library for a couple weeks, or just buy the current iMac???? what do u all think? what are the reasonable rumors of what's to be added to a new model? just the SD slot and possibly blu-ray?

I've used Macs for over 20 yrs.

I just sold my two yrs old 24 inch iMac 2.4 core 2 duo.

Got 1,050.00 for it.

Hope with a couple of hundred bucks more will get me a much better machine in about 3 weeks.

 

[MacObsession]

Oct. updates Important because

The October updates, IMO are critical to Apple for the following reasons;

The updates will need enough staying power to address the following events; 1)Windows 7 roll-out, 2) the holiday buying season, 3) spring semester.
It stands to reason that Mac mini's, iMac's, MacBook and MBP's will all have significant upgrades and additions, especially with the MacBook seeing yet a lower price point.
It seems to me that processing power and memory limitation, due to the exceedingly expensive cost of memory for macs, are currently a few steps behind the competition.

Here is my list of what we should be expecting in this cycle or should I say my wish list;

Blu-ray player capable drives on MBP and iMacs,
Quad processor choices available on MBP and iMacs,
Faster processors and larger hard drives across the board, with minimum processor speeds as follows, 2.4Ghz mini, new lower priced MB 2.2Ghz, MBP 2.8Ghz, new lower priced iMac having a 2.4Ghz processor then 2.8Ghz minimums with a quad avaiable.
An entry level Macbook available for $799.00,
4GB and 6GB memory minimums with the exception of the basic mini and MB having just 2GB,
An iMac priced at $999.00,

I believe the above changes would address several issues with the current and the foreseeable state of the economy being one of the biggest issues.
With new lower price points increasing the potential market for Apple products and the power upgrades having enough staying power to last till the early 2010 upgrade cycle while fending off high end PC products that are just now being announced.

The longer delivery issues I believe are due to manufacturing resources being devoted to new product offering. Yesterday I noticed that Micro Center in Atlanta had all the laptop prices reduced, they were marked as being "Clearance" items, also as noted earlier in this thread, MacMall is discounting some of the laptops quite heavily.

As far as I am concerned, Apple will be announcing the new line up mid October and when they do, I will be ordering a new MBP to replace my 2.2Ghz Santa Rosa MBP that I dropped down a wooden stairway about 8 months ago, it's still working, but the bezel is broken, and the case itself is pretty banged up plus it needs a new battery. Instead of repairing it, I'm using the unfortunate drop to justify buying a new MBP, I really like the new case design.😎

 

[hiimamac]

Update is coming soon. Either that or Apple is planning April Fools Day early.

Guys, girls. Isn't it time for apple to move away from this really low end or make it dirt cheap while at the same time introduce a mini with quad, esata raid capabilities, express slots ( much needed for audio:video PROsumers eg there are express cards that have fx such as reverb, compression, EQ and take a huge load off the CPU), and a deducated GPU plus throw in all machined a TV tuner with DVR and they would sell millions upon millions.

First, gaming market is like 3-10 rimes larger than music and video.
Second, PROsumer, by definition are musicians, editors, sound designers that would by these and out weigh the so called Pro market by 10-1 and this us but one reason Avid/ Digidesign bought the M-Audio company as they know this us where the money is at and not high end Pro Tools TDM studios. In fact, I read a report on SOS magazine in Europe that showed Pro Tools studios all overvthe world are closing as todays Artis has his or her's home studio where they lay down most of the tracks.

The article went on to interview a very famous producer who said he captured most of his tracks with this one artist on his laptop, either Logic, Cubase or Nuendo, then exported as OMF and went to one of very few, ProTools studio, just to mix it.

Apple can do this, make a lot money, reach all differnt types of buyers from gamers to semi pro, and ironically, instead of eg as I've been there, Bravo NBC trailer/bumper (they do all the coming up next spots, graphics), instead of one Mac Pro in each room, everyone would have one of these, plus, it's a known fact that in the Pro Mac enviorment, they use PCs for rendering farms, they could use a device such ad this while Aldo selling to the mom and pop that want to record their favorite show and send emails.

It would not eat away at the Pro line but instead, compliment it.

Peace.

 

[malcolm123]

Argh. This morning I get an email saying that because of "unforeseen delays" my delivery estimate for my MBP is now Oct. 7-13. I'm guessing it won't ship until Monday (at the earliest), but on the freakin Store website it's saying Ships w/i 24 hours. I am really at a loss as to whether I should cancel it and see what news happens, or just keep the order intact.

What exactly are the rules for returning a product if/when there is an update after you buy it; i.e., what kind of grace period am I looking at if a new MBP comes out this month?

 

[matrix01]

MBP delay

Malcolm - sounds like your experience was just like mine - initially shipping in 1-3 days, then changed to mid-October.

I don't know about returns (I hate to do that to a company), but Apple is very good about it if there's just a price drop. If you ordered within two weeks before a price drop, my experience is that they willingly send you a refund for the difference - that's pretty good price protection.

I am not so confident that the MBP's will get an update, but I do see the delays happening. I don't think the Apple shops are restricted though, and that would usually be a sign.

Intel has their new Clarksfield (45nm) processors out, and those are what we need. However, they're not super-low-power - 45 watts and up I believe. Apple could wait for the Arrandale (32nm) processors), which will do the same thing at lower power, but they won't be out until Spring 2010 ...

Maximum clock speeds are supposed to be going up to 3.3 GHz for these mobile processors. I'm tired of clock speeds not rising.

I have to be away for two weeks anyways, but I won't wait forever - and there is _always_ a new thing of some kind coming down the pipe, gotta have a new computer sometime ...

Would sure love USB 3.0 though. So far there are available USB 3.0 cables, chips, 1 external hard drive, and 1 PC motherboard out. Could Apple be next?

 

[malcolm123]

Thanks Matrix, that helps. Honestly the only updates that would really concern me would be either a price drop, in which case I'd hope to get the system I spec'd out cheaper than I did, or the inclusion of a Blu-ray player, neither of which look like they're going to happen with the iMac/Mini updates that seem to be coming for next week. Guess I'm all set then, and can just anxiously keep refreshing my e-mail for that "your item has shipped" e-mail.

 

[iMacmatician]

Maximum clock speeds are supposed to be going up to 3.3 GHz for these mobile processors.

That's only with Turbo Boost. When using all cores, Clarksfield tops out at 2.0 GHz and Arrandale at 2.67 GHz.

 

[charlituna]

The updates will need enough staying power to address the following events; 1)Windows 7 roll-out, 2) the holiday buying season, 3) spring semester.

1. snow leopard
2. point on that
3. students are about laptops and many bought them during the free ipod summer. but even for those that didn't an early January update so they can spend their christmas/hanukkah money

It stands to reason that

Apple will, as they always have, do what they see fit when they see fit and all this "if they don't add this" "if they don't do that" means nothing. and yes you are current that your expectations are really just what you want and are no reflection on the general market, which is the group that Apple is trying to coax over.

An entry level Macbook available for $799.00,
An iMac priced at $999.00,

i disagree on the inevitability of such price points. Apple has never been about low budget and probably never will be. gaining too much market has a down side legally and Apple may not ever wish to push that line

The clerk advised him to come back in two weeks when the new ones would be available. I then inquired and they stated that the new iMac and Mac Mini hardware would be announced in two weeks.

highly doubt they KNOW that. don't doubt that part of the reseller agreement is to keep their mouths shut even if they do know.

Also I think it's very professional to give good customers a hint about possible upcoming products(if it's got something to it). Things like that are what will probably make the customer more likely to come back in the future.

not when you have an agreement not to. and/or don't have actual facts.

very professional was the guy I overheard the afternoon after the Media Event Announcements went out. the gist of what he said was "since you are not certain what you want to do I can tell you that they announced a press event for the beginning of next week. We don't know what they will be announcing but we know it will have something to do with ipods [which is what the customer was looking at], so why not wait and see what they say and then decide what you want"

what this guy did was potentially irresponsible. what happens after two weeks when nothing is announced or when something is but it excludes what the customer was looking at. the guy looks like an idiot.

 

[MacObsession]

Not just my expectations-

Charlituna,

I expect that we will see lower price points, in effect we will be seeing more of the same price cutting that we witnessed this year by Apple.

It's a new world and the masses "primarily in the West" are seeing their incomes going down due to competition by international labor forces willing to work for less.
I have no doubt that Apple understands what is happening and will act proactively to address these issues. Apple is a publicly traded company and to ignore the lower end market would be irresponsible at the very least, there are just too many $400 and $500 computers being marketed by major PC makers for Apple to just do nothing.

To believe that Apple does not desire a larger market share is simply delusional.

 

[MacDSmith2]

Charlituna,
Apple is a publicly traded company and to ignore the lower end market would be irresponsible at the very least, there are just too many $400 and $500 computers being marketed by major PC makers for Apple to just do nothing.

To believe that Apple does not desire a larger market share is simply delusional.

I agree completely! Apple cannot afford to keep their price/performance ratio so out of step with the rest of the Intel PC world. The netbooks will kill them just as much as the mainstream PC makers. They have to adjust their low end machines before Christmas or lose significant market share. I hope they do up the high end performance specs but I wouldn't count on blu ray or quad core. I just don't think that will happen.

 

[charlituna]

Apple is a publicly traded company and to ignore the lower end market would be irresponsible at the very least,

Apple has never gone after the low end market. Apple has never done anything because a few vocal folks say they should or because everyone else has.

Also, despite the recession, Apple has done very well in sales.

To believe that Apple would suddenly drop everything and knock everything down to half the current prices in order to spike their market share is, in my opinion, what is delusional. Same for many of the things folks are demanding simply must be put in the new computers (like Blu-ray).

And in another couple of weeks we'll likely have an answer about who is right and wrong.

 

[kokoloko80]

does any one knows (or can speculate) if eventually updated to the macbook
line will be announced when will that happen? when does apple traditionally releases new products in oct.? 🙂

 

[charlituna]

does any one knows (or can speculate) if eventually updated to the macbook
line will be announced when will that happen? when does apple traditionally releases new products in oct.? 🙂

apple releases when they are ready. by tradition they have had some kind of change, either a spec update or just a price drop, in Oct or very early Nov and there are signs they will again this year. But no one knows the date until Apple tells it.

 

[DisMyMac]

hopefully this employee's manager didn't also overhear this conversation or he/she could find themselves in trouble... it's not that I'm not also aware of the upcoming refresh, it's just that it's not professional for anyone to make a comment/suggestion like this, particularly since nothing has been officially announced yet (even though I have to admit I'd probably have wanted to say something to this customer as well, knowing that there was a good chance they could get much more for their money by waiting a couple weeks).

Are you the guy who got Brad Hamilton fired from All-American Burger in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

Don't be him.

 

[johnrs]

sorry if this has already been posted.

The 24" 2.66MHz iMac in the US store is now on 1-3 days shipping

no change in the UK store though

 

[smileyborg]

sorry if this has already been posted.

The 24" 2.66MHz iMac in the US store is now on 1-3 days shipping

no change in the UK store though

Yup, and the Mac minis are now 3-5 days.