New Apple TVs prepared for shipment

We received a lot of tips today from people who ordered the new $99 Apple TV on September 1st and have, like me, been anxiously checking the order status in the online Apple Store. As of today, many orders are showing the message you see above -- that the device has been "prepared for shipment" sometime in September.

Well, today is September 27th, which doesn't leave all that much time for Apple or the OEM to ship these devices. My guess is that the 747 freighters are lining up on the tarmac in Shanghai or Hong Kong, waiting to be loaded with the first half-million or so Apple TVs.

Fellow TUAW blogger Mike Rose and I both ordered our Apple TVs shortly after the announcement on September 1st, so whoever gets the first one will probably take dibs on doing a full review of the new iOS-powered streaming video box. Be sure to visit TUAW regularly this week for all of your Apple TV news.

Thanks to all of the TUAW readers who wrote in to tell us that you saw the "prepared for shipment" status.