ShipTimes
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iPhone 5 ship times improve to 2-4 business days
Apple's inventory of the iPhone 5 is improving with ship times jumping from one week to two to four days. These shortened delivery estimates were first spotted in Apple's Australia and New Zealand stores. These are some of the shortest ship times for the handset since it launched in late September. According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, the iPhone is also readily available in retail stores. This combination of improved online ship times and in-store availability bodes well for holiday sales of the handset.
MacBook Pro Retina display ship times improve
That didn't take long! One day after the MacBook Pro with Retina display was released, shipping times jumped to 2-3 weeks, and then to 3-4 weeks. Apparently the initial demand for the product has been met or more of the luscious laptops are making their way out of factories, because ship times are beginning to improve. In the U.S. online Apple Store, ship times are back down to the 2-3 week range; still annoying for those who want to get their new laptop now. The first markets that received the good news were those in the Asia-Pacific sector; now the improved estimates are visible in the Americas and many of the European stores.
Apple removes shipping times for many online items
Apple's online storefront includes shipping times that give prospective customers an idea of how long they'll have to wait before an item arrives on their front door. Many Apple products no longer have an estimated ship date and are labeled as being "In Stock". The only products with a ship date are those with limited availability. In the past, these shipping dates were used to estimate product inventory and guess when new products may be released. Earlier this week, savvy customers noticed the ship dates for the iPhone 4 slipped from 24 hours to 1-3 days. This kicked off a round of speculation that Apple was clearing inventory of the iPhone 4 before the launch of the iPhone 5. Likely tired of these rampant rumors, Apple has removed these ship dates leaving customers and rumormongers in the dark about product inventory. [Via AppleInsider]
iPhone ship times start to slip (Updated)
Update: As of this afternoon, the ship times are all back to 1 day. Perhaps the inventory lag was related to weather events or other externalities. Customers looking to buy an iPhone 4 from Apple's online store will now have to wait 1-3 days for their handset to ship. This lengthened ship time extends to every model of the iPhone 4 that Apple sells. This across-the-board delay may be a sign that iPhone 4 inventory is dwindling as Apple prepares to launch the iPhone 5 in the upcoming weeks. Rumors suggest the iPhone 5 may have the faster A5 processor like the iPad 2, an 8-megapixel camera and both CDMA and GSM connectivity. It is expected to be announced at Apple's fall event later this month and go on sale sometime in October. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple's new wireless keyboard not shipping for 3-5 weeks
While the new iMacs, USB 2.0 keyboard, and updated iLife and iWork suites announced yesterday shipped out lickety-quick, it seems like Apple's tiny new Bluetooth keyboard isn't quite ready yet -- the online Apple Store is showing wait times of 3-5 weeks. That's at least down from the 4-6 weeks we swear the store showed yesterday, but it's still a mighty long time. Oh well -- we'll never feel comfortable without a numeric keypad anyway.[Thanks, Jeff]
