While Apple has begun to catch up with demand for its redesigned iMacs, the company's Thunderbolt Display remains in limited supply at resellers, potentially hinting that an update could be around the corner.
The latest data from the NPD Group shows U.S. Mac sales in the month of January were up 31 percent year over year, suggesting Apple began to catch up with demand for its new all-in-one iMac.
Estimated shipping times for Apple's thinner iMac continue to slip, as the 27-inch model is now advertised to arrive in Europe in 4 to 6 weeks, while the 21.5-inch model has been delayed to between 3 and 4 weeks.
Apple's component supply chain may have managed to resolve supply issues, as new reports out of China have production ramping up for the iPad mini as well as the shortage-plagued new iMac.
Several of Apple's retail partners are for the first time Sunday reflecting some availability of the company's iMac models first introduced over three months ago, including a handful of customized 21" models in addition to the $1799 27" model.
The U.S. Online Apple Store is now quoting estimated shipment dates for the 21.5-inch iMac at two to three weeks, suggesting supply constraints of the redesigned all-in-one continue over a month after the first units reached customers in November.
A new report holds that Apple's component suppliers have solved the production problems keeping stocks of the company's new iMac models low, and Apple will supposedly see strong sales of its signature desktop in the quarter to come.
Apple on Wednesday released its earnings for the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year, revealing a precipitous drop in both revenue and shipments for Macs, a sector that once made up the core of the company's business.
New orders of Apple's 21.5-inch desktop iMac are now advertised to ship in 2 to 3 weeks to U.K. customers, suggesting production problems remain for the all-in-one desktop.
A number of resellers have run dry of Apple Thunderbolt Display inventory, suggesting the 27-inch monitor may be due for an upgrade, perhaps with a thinner design that takes cues from the latest iMacs.
Apple is still facing manufacturing issues with its new big-screen 27-inch iMac, though a report claims the issue could start to improve in February.
More than a month after the launch of the new iMac, Apple still cannot provide adequate supply of its redesigned desktop, as resellers remain completely barren.
Apple is now offering the Fusion Drive as a build-to-order option when ordering the most affordable 2.7GHz 21.5-inch iMac model, a change in availability from October when the system was limited to high-end versions and the 27-inch iMac.
In somewhat of a regression in function from its predecessors, it has been confirmed that Apple's new iMac line of all-in-one desktops are not compatible with mounts certified by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA).
Update: Amazon has now sold out of the 21.5-inch iMac, but AppleInsider partner B&H does still have the $1,499 model in stock, as can be seen in the Mac Price Guide below. We'll update readers if more inventory becomes available.
With Apple still reflecting backlog of 7-10 business days on new 21-inch iMacs, readers looking to purchase one of the super slim desktops for guaranteed delivery ahead Christmas can place orders through some retailers to receive their shipment before Christmas.
Details on 14 new desktop processors set to launch in 2013 based on Intel's "Haswell" architecture have leaked, offering a glimpse at chips that could potentially make their way into the next-generation iMac.
Customers who preordered Apple's newly redesigned 27-inch iMac have begun receiving notifications that their order has shipped and will arrive before Christmas.
Apple on Friday revised the estimated shipping times for its newly redesigned 27-inch iMac, with new orders now scheduled to ship in January.
Apple may be taking some of the burden of assembling the new iMac off Chinese supply partners by performing parts of assembly in the U.S., as a number of newly-purchased standard units are showing an "Assembled in USA" notation usually reserved for made-to-order machines.
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Neil Hughes
AppleInsider Staff
Kevin Bostic
Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
Mikey Campbell
