Katie MarsalDays after placing Apple's Mac mini up for sale on its web site, Target has removed the product, citing availability concerns.
Target.com had priced the Mac mini at Apple's manufacturer's suggested retail price of $499, though web-savvy customers quickly discovered they could save 10% off that cost by entering coupon codes with their order, bringing the cost of the mini down to $450.
Sources close to AppleInsider claim this discounted price falls below the wholesale price of the computer, and likely attracted a plethora of buyers, ranging from the average customer to small resellers.
In an e-mail to inquiring customers, Target cited availability concerns as the sole factor that prompted it to remove the product from its store.
"We appreciate your interest in purchasing the Mac Mini. We can't offer a definite date when it will be on hand again, and because of this, we're not able to make it available for ordering at this time," the retailer said.
"Our inventory is constantly changing and we may get the item back in stock, so check back again. If inventory is on hand, you'll see an "Add to Cart" button on the product description page."
Apple's own online store is backlogged on mini orders by 3-4 weeks, but Apple Authorized Retailer J&R Music World is currently quoting ship estimates of 3-5 days and 7-10 days for the 1.42GHz and 1.25GHz models, respectively.
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11 Comments
Heh.... no wonder the Mini sales like warm buns ...
Funny though, it seems like everytime, the demand is far bigger than the supply
I struggle to think of that many items in electronics that don't have about a month of time to filter out into the wild. Apple isn't alone in this it's just unlike most companies there is a very noticeable demand for their products.
I just don't understand why Apple didn't have a warehouse full of 100,000 Mac Minis prior to their announcement. That way they can meet the demand.
This always happens. By the time enough Minis get to stores, a lot of switchers will have given up and bought the $349 Dell (that comes with monitor, mouse and keyboard.)
I just don't understand why Apple didn't have a warehouse full of 100,000 Mac Minis prior to their announcement. That way they can meet the demand.
They did have, but they all sold out.
They did have, but they all sold out.
I bet the sales figures will be staggering. Personally, I'm waiting for Tiger to ship pre-installed on the Mini. Also, the specs have already been upgraded, so waiting a couple months can't hurt.