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Supply of Apple's 27" iMac drying up as Ivy Bridge upgrade awaits

Overg said:
Giving this news and the evidence around the globe that indeed the 27 inch is drying up.
Let's play the logic game more, let's assume that apple will release the iMac in October, what will happen in the next two months?
People won't be able to buy iMac around the world?
Do you think that a company that sells so many computers will loss two months of sales? Almost full quarter? That totally disasraterous in company world.

If that happen I can conclude two things:
1) apple stock will dive down
2) someone at apple ****ed up really bad.

So if apple don't want their stock to dive, and assuming no one ****ed up, I bet ml release, as the date.

Also about the part leak, in case where nothing is changing in the machine, what there is to leak??
Did we see MacBook air leaks? Or regular MacBook pro? Before wwdc?
.
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they could keep sending out tiny shipments with the old one for 3 months. I see the shops here in Norway, which was almost out a week ago has gotten some new suplies, not a lot, its still very dry, but at least its not sinking to zero everywhere. But, I hope its just Apple clearing out the last of their inventory...anything else would feel very anticlimax as a 3 month delivery plan....I assume iMacs are not selling like hot cakes right now - anything else would surprise me.
 
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24Frames said:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/04/supply_of_apples_27_imac_drying_up_as_ivy_bridge_upgrade_awaits.html

Looks like a July update will come with the Mountain Lion Update.

The early report https://www.macrumors.com/2012/07/03/more-claims-of-october-launch-for-updated-imac-models/ of an October update looks a bit unlikely given that iPhone 5 will arrive at around that time. One possible reason for an October update would be lack of NVidia 68xM (680M?) GPUs. Time will tell.
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July? I hope so! :)

October makes no sense to me. Even if the current delay is due to waiting for Nvidia GPUs, why would that take us to October?

I've seen other threads here where people have speculated that the current delay is due to waiting for the Nvidia GPUs. They have stated that the "likely" GPU needed for the high-end iMac would be available to manufacturers in July, with manufacturers then making their computers available to the public later in July (e.g. Alienware, IIRC).

If laptop manufacturers can get hold of this particular Nvidia GPU in July, and get machines with it out to the public later on in July...why would it take Apple until October? Surely Apple has the buying power to have "first dibs" on anything it wants (such as when it buys huge quantities of displays and other components for the iPad).
 
Overg said:
Giving this news and the evidence around the globe that indeed the 27 inch is drying up.
Let's play the logic game more, let's assume that apple will release the iMac in October, what will happen in the next two months?
People won't be able to buy iMac around the world?
Do you think that a company that sells so many computers will loss two months of sales? Almost full quarter? That totally disasraterous in company world.

If that happen I can conclude two things:
1) apple stock will dive down
2) someone at apple ****ed up really bad.

So if apple don't want their stock to dive, and assuming no one ****ed up, I bet ml release, as the date.

Also about the part leak, in case where nothing is changing in the machine, what there is to leak??
Did we see MacBook air leaks? Or regular MacBook pro? Before wwdc?
.
Click to expand...

Those are all good points. It also just occurred to me... How long before the sandybridge components used in the iMacs run out? I'm sure apple has enough supply to last a while, but how long? The old and new processors use the same sockets (LGA 1155) so motherboards won't be the problem, but similar to the Mac Pro update... how long can Apple last before they run out of sandybridge processors?

The supply constraints have been tracked on these forums for months. We've seen stock dip to zero or near-zero amounts plenty of times and rebound. I hope this time is it and we see a refresh soon but I simply cannot put any faith in it. We don't know how many of these places are ordering new stock in small quantities simply because they don't want to have outdated hardware on their hands. I feel like that's the problem at least with many of the European resellers.
 
Apple must have more than one iMac production facility or at least more than one production line cranking them out. If they are transitioning from 2011 to 2012 models, that could explain the dwindling supply of current models. Hopefully they're piling up boxes of 2012 models while we stew so they can have plenty to ship in a few weeks, not a few months.
 
Luvin said:
The supply constraints have been tracked on these forums for months. We've seen stock dip to zero or near-zero amounts plenty of times and rebound. I hope this time is it and we see a refresh soon but I simply cannot put any faith in it.
Click to expand...

This is very true. It's been so long since we had a proper new release of a desktop system that it's easy to forget what the stockouts look like when it's actually happening: gradually, then suddenly. All at once the stock levels die everywhere like an alkaline battery. We're still in the gradually phase and have been for months. Until we hit the sudden hard stockouts, there is no refresh in the offing.
 
iMcLovin said:
they could keep sending out tiny shipments with the old one for 3 months. I see the shops here in Norway, which was almost out a week ago has gotten some new suplies, not a lot, its still very dry, but at least its not sinking to zero everywhere. But, I hope its just Apple clearing out the last of their inventory...anything else would feel very anticlimax as a 3 month delivery plan....I assume iMacs are not selling like hot cakes right now - anything else would surprise me.
Click to expand...

Even if they can send small quantities here and there, do you think they can keep on going like this for three more month.... I highly doubt it.
This is apple.
I think that the main suspect in this story is nvidia, I also suspect that apple wanted to introduce the iMac in wwdc but since nvidia parts were missing they couldn't do it.
I also bet that there are some very angry mails between apple's executives and nvidia.

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Luvin said:
Those are all good points. It also just occurred to me... How long before the sandybridge components used in the iMacs run out? I'm sure apple has enough supply to last a while, but how long? The old and new processors use the same sockets (LGA 1155) so motherboards won't be the problem, but similar to the Mac Pro update... how long can Apple last before they run out of sandybridge processors?

The supply constraints have been tracked on these forums for months. We've seen stock dip to zero or near-zero amounts plenty of times and rebound. I hope this time is it and we see a refresh soon but I simply cannot put any faith in it. We don't know how many of these places are ordering new stock in small quantities simply because they don't want to have outdated hardware on their hands. I feel like that's the problem at least with many of the European resellers.
Click to expand...
Not like the Xeon I wouldn't count on that, intel can manufacture those for some years, as many low grade laptop will use them.
 
Apple like to stagger releases to generate more publicity.
It would have made no sense to release updated iMacs and Mac Minis alongside the MBPR.

My understanding of the way that Apple has worked since Tim Cook joined in the late 1990s is that they try and avoid having stock sitting around. They build an iMac and sell it within a week or so. Sure before a launch they have to build enough to meet initial demand. But within a few weeks I'm sure they carry minimal stock. A lot of demand is for BTO, and that doesn't involve carrying any stock at all.
 
24Frames said:
My understanding of the way that Apple has worked since Tim Cook joined in the late 1990s is that they try and avoid having stock sitting around. They build an iMac and sell it within a week or so. Sure before a launch they have to build enough to meet initial demand. But within a few weeks I'm sure they carry minimal stock. A lot of demand is for BTO, and that doesn't involve carrying any stock at all.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. The degree of supply-chain optimization that this requires is more than most people recognize. I have some investments in the hobby gaming industry and the supply chain is an absolute nightmare there -- products typically have fits-and-starts availability due to the shoestringy small manufacturers buying print runs and then blowing them out into the channel without knowing whether they'll even be able to pay for the next print run to go to press until months later. Manufacturing capacity is just as tight too -- if you think other PC vendors are upset that the Macbook Air eats up so much unibody aluminum fabrication, try getting an order of cards printed up around Wizards of the Coast's monopolization of the Cartamundi presses for huge-selling Magic: the Gathering sets. Or even worse, miniature founding -- between Games Workshop in the UK and Reaper in Dallas, what little pewter is still flowing into the hobby resource chain is long since spoken for, and even those two outfits are moving to plastic and resin models as fast as they can manage, because they'd starve at the rate they can push tin out to distribution these days. What chance does a small publisher have against that? It's tough.

This optimization on Apple's part may also be part of why we don't see the real, hard-line stockouts until the very last minute, IF AT ALL -- notice that the Macbook Pros didn't redline on June 10th like they logically should have. If Tim Cook really wants production secrecy, by God he's setting the stage for it.
 
eswank said:
Damn. I hope it's all worth it. I was at the Apple Store the other day and that rMBP is so sexy!
Click to expand...

I think I would be more disappointed if they DID release an Imac before Oct! Especially a Retina version.
 
iMcLovin said:
Well, it´s illogical because it sucks not getting a new imac when you have a bank account saved up for a cool new computer and Apple won´t let me spend it. And, saying buy the 2011 doesn´t do it for me....If I want fresh bread for breakfast I don´t settle with some moldy old leftover bread - at least I would expect some serious discount from the bakery :(
Click to expand...

Nice use of a metaphor.
 
Occamsrazr said:
A lot of people on this forum seem to have a taste for old moldy things.
Click to expand...

When the new ones come out, and are a redesign and Apple decided to remove something from them that you really want .... you'll be looking for some old moldy thing and they'll be all gone.

And please do not say " that cannot happen " because it has in the past, at least with the Macbook Pro line.
 
What could they possibly remove that I would want?

OK, I guess they could remove the display. That would make me wish I had an older model iMac
 
Occamsrazr said:
What could they possibly remove that I would want?

OK, I guess they could remove the display. That would make me wish I had an older model iMac
Click to expand...

Occamsrazr said:
What could they possibly remove that I would want?

OK, I guess they could remove the display. That would make me wish I had an older model iMac
Click to expand...

So that's all you want is the display?

There's nothing on the current iMac, like perhaps a port, maybe Firewire that could be removed?

Maybe the optical drive?

Or they could NOT add something you want ... like Retina Display.

Or maybe it will come out with a minimal speed bump only, and a price increase.

I remember buying a Macbook Pro 2 weeks before the new model was released, when it was released Apple had removed the Express34 card slot from it. My friend who uses that slot frequently was mad at himself for waiting. He had to search to find a new-old model because he needed that slot in the 15" platform.

The fun will be the day the new ones are released, that's when the " Where Are The New iMac " crybaby threads stop and the new " I Can't Believe Apple Did or Didn't Do ____________ To The New iMac " crybaby threads.

In the end it matters not to me, I buy on a 30 - 36 month schedule. Sell the old just before the Apple Care runs out and replace it with a new unit. Always have a system under warranty that way.

Have fun, my last new iMac has already made me enough $$$ to pay for itself and the next iMac I buy.
 
Looking at how Apple has shaped the MacBook Pro lineup, with respect to the positioning of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and applying it to the iMac lineup you speculate on the following:

The existing models gain Ivy Bridge CPUs, NVidia GPUs, USB 3, more and less expensive (as opposed to cheaper!) RAM.
A "premium" model is introduced with a retina display.
The premium model would be an iMac 21-Inch with a 3840 x 2160 pixel Retina Display and a new thinner case design.

As far as I can see Apple couldn't release a 27-Inch Retina model with doubled pixel resolutions because there are no GPUs that could handle that many pixels, they top out at 3840 x 2160. That situation won't change in the next 6-9 months as NVidia.

The only reason for delaying until October is GPU availability, specifically the NVidia 680M, which if we are lucky will be featured in the 27-Inch model with a 4GB:) BTO.
 
Well I decided a week ago that I'm building my own PC:)......The Phantom!
A few reasons one being the delayed iMacs, which intrigued me and lead me to custom building PCs with all the new parts and everything you could imagine at a cheaper cost minus a big high res monitor but that could easily be bought later.

If anyone's curious as to which Ivy Bridge I'm using for my setup here:

Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz Ivy Bridge
 
harcosparky said:
There's nothing on the current iMac, like perhaps a port, maybe Firewire that could be removed?

Maybe the optical drive?

Or they could NOT add something you want ... like Retina Display.
Click to expand...

I never use FireWire and I WANT them to remove the ODD. If they add retina display that's nice, but I'm not expecting it.

Why do you try to make it seem like waiting is a fool's errand? IMO it is foolish to pay 2012 dollars for a crusty old 2011 clunker.
 
24Frames said:
Looks like a July update will come with the Mountain Lion Update.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping, and yes October is unlikely as they want to have people focused on the iPhone 5(?)

ds82 said:
one year in tech are like 10 in "human years" :D
Click to expand...

That makes my G5 about 80 years old and time for retirement :p

ETA lets be practical here and look at what they did with the MBP (non retina) they upgraded the internals with USB3, faster CPUs and better specs, they did not remove the FW or change the design of the case. If we get an update in July (or later) then I'm still betting the same will happen with the 2012 iMac.
 
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ODD haters

How do you rip CDs or DVDs without the ODD?
There's no space problem in the iMac envelope.
Blue Ray could come in handy and there are lots of disc based games, craft and educational items still very useful.
Lots of reasons to keep the ODD, and none to motivate Apple to remove it. Supply of drives must certainly be a lot less expensive than previous batches.
Removing the ODD would deter at least a few customers if not lots and damage producers of ODD products.

Can anyone offer a really good reason for removing it?
 
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