Both the 21.5- and 27-inch version of the newly redesigned iMac now ship within one day from Apple's online stores in the U.S. and Canada.
All default configurations of the iMac are now advertised to ship within 24 hours. The improvement comes only three days after shipping times were shortened to one-to-three days.
Prior to this weekend, the 21.5-inch model was estimated to ship in two to three weeks, while the 27-inch model took up to a month to ship.
iMac availability was severely constrained following the debut of the redesigned desktops in December. It's believed that Apple faced production issues associated with the new screen, which is laminated to the glass front to allow for a thinner design.
Improved iMac availability is assumed to have helped boost overall Mac sales in the month of January. Last week the NPD Group revealed that U.S. Mac sales were up 31 percent to start 2013.
iMac shipping times also improved this week elsewhere around the world, though Apple's online stores in Europe and elsewhere do not yet reflect the same immediate availability as the U.S. store.
iMac inventory has also improved among Apple's official resellers. Their prices can be found in the official AppleInsider price guide, included below.
10 Comments
I wonder what the primary reason is for such a quick drop from weeks to 24 hours. Usually it's a more structured decline.
[LIST=1] [*] [*] [*] [/LIST] And if you change the Magic Mouse to a track pad? And if you bump up the memory? I guess I'll go check... Any change bumps to 2-3 weeks. Even trackpad. [B]CORRECTION:[/B] Any change to the 27in iMac bumps shipping to 2-3 weeks. Changes to the 21in bump to 7-10 days, which seems more in line with the norm, and may reflect the prioritization of the 21in, higher demand for the 27in, lower yields for the 27in, or..?
[quote name="DeanSolecki" url="/t/156309/new-imac-orders-now-ship-within-24-hours-from-apples-north-american-stores#post_2288138"]And if you change the Magic Mouse to a track pad? And if you bump up the memory? I guess I'll go check... Any change bumps to 2-3 weeks. Even trackpad.[/quote] Still? That's just weak.
I wonder what the primary reason is for such a quick drop from weeks to 24 hours. Usually it's a more structured decline.
Seems they gave full priority to building stock items to do some channel filling. Several dealers here received the first shipments ever at the end of last week. My little authorized reseller here has some 400 backorders.
[quote name="SolipsismX" url="/t/156309/new-imac-orders-now-ship-within-24-hours-from-apples-north-american-stores#post_2288151"] Still? That's just weak.[/quote] It'd be interesting to get some data points on whether or not those ship times stick, or if they are quoting conservatively. I am thinking Haswell for an upgrade, and hope it's all sorted by then. :\