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iMac CTO shipping times slip due to shortage of 2 TB hard drives
Hoping for a configure-to-order iMac with a 2 TB hard drive underneath the Christmas tree this year? AppleInsider is reporting that shipping times for iMacs with the 2 TB hard drives have jumped from 1 to 3 days up to a whopping 5 to 7 weeks. While ordering an iMac with a 1 TB drive or an SSD ensures that the computer arrives within a week, clicking the 2 TB option causes the delivery date to push out to well into the new year. Oddly enough, Mac Pro ship times are the same for models containing 1 or 2 TB drives. Of course, the demand for the much more expensive Mac Pro is considerably less than that of the popular iMac. The culprit appears to be the ongoing situation with flooding in Thailand. According to a blog entry on the website of peripheral seller OWC, the floods have not only affected manufacturers like Western Digital, but also the companies that create the components used in the assembly of hard drives. OWC states that despite the statements of industry analysts, many of whom believe the shortage will be alleviated by the summer of 2012, there are signs that hard drives shortages could persist throughout next year. In the meantime, you'd better snap up that 1 TB version of the iMac before the wait times on shipping start to slide.
HP Slate 500 sees 'extraordinary demand,' experiences six-week shipping delay (update)
Yes, the HP Slate 500 is officially backordered, less than a month after its enterprising debut, and Hewlett-Packard claims it's because of "extraordinary demand," a phrase that's presently not quantifiable. The long and short of it, though, is that you're not getting one by Yuletide if you purchase the pricey portable today, as you'll have to wait six weeks until they're ready to ship out. Still, if your budding business bought in on day one, there's still a chance it might arrive in time -- ours is due to our door in early December, if that gives you any idea. We've pinged HP for comment, and hope to hear back soon. We'll be sure to let you know just how "extraordinary" those sales numbers might be. Update: We've yet to hear back from HP proper, but a trusted tipster with a contact inside HP spun us a very interesting tale -- HP reportedly only ever planned a limited production run of 5,000 units, and received orders for 9,000 instead. When demand outstripped supply, HP apparently had to re-hire production workers just to get the presses printing out tablets again, and are presently placating angry customers by offering them over $100 off their $800 purchase as apology. [Thanks, Dan]
27-inch iMac shipping delays extended 3 more weeks
Did you order one of those sweet 27-inch iMacs from the Apple online store recently? Well, if you did, expect to see a delay in getting it. AppleInsider is reporting that the 27-inch models currently have a three-week shipping time. Earlier this week, Apple's web store showed estimated shipping times of less than a week. The delay could be due to several factors. First, initial users of the 27-inch model had been experiencing screen flicker issues, which caused orders made in December to be delayed about two weeks. Apple released a software patch for the big-screen iMac on December 21st that was meant to resolve the screen flicker issues, but many purchasers are still experiencing the problems. It could be that Apple is slowing the pace of manufacturing until the situation is resolved. Another possibility not addressed in the AppleInsider post could be that the demand for the 27-inch iMac is reaching a new peak. The iMac line made up the best-selling desktop computers in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2009, with the 21.5-inch model topping the charts. It's not entirely out of the question that demand at Apple resellers, including the Apple Stores, is finally being met by the supply of the 27-inch model and that fewer of the machines are available for purchase online. If you're looking for a 27-inch iMac, we'd recommend visiting a local Apple reseller rather than attempting to purchase it directly through the online Apple Store.
Lenovo S10 delayed two months?
We're not sure what to make of this, but Liliputing says that orders for Lenovo's sharp S10 netbook have been just been delayed for two months. Given the standardized nature of the Atom-based internals and this little guy's recent appearances in the wild and at the FCC, we'd venture that this has more to do with stock issues than with design problems, so hopefully things will get sorted a lot quicker than two months -- although apparently even Lenovo didn't know what parts it was putting in this thing, so who knows what's going on. Anyone else have an order pushed back -- or better yet, shipped out? Let us know in comments![Via jkOnTheRun]
