Apple Now Quoting 'January' Shipping Estimates for 27-Inch iMac

Shipping estimates for Apple's new 27-inch iMac models have been updated today to "January", marking the first time availability of the machines has been pushed back into 2013. Orders had previously been estimated at 3-4 weeks for shipping.

imac 27 january shipping
The new "January" estimate may or may not represent a lengthening of lead times given that the previous 3-4 week window was already pushing into January, but at the very least it seems that Apple is introducing some uncertainty into future availability by simply stating a one-month window for new orders rather than measuring estimates in weeks.

Supplies of the new iMac have been tight since the machine's launch one week ago, and were already expected to be constrained into 2013. The bottleneck for Apple is said to be the new production process on the machine's display, which is laminated directly to the cover glass. The process is more troublesome for larger screens, making supplies of the 27-inch iMac more scarce than those for its 21.5-inch sibling.

Related Roundup: iMac
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Related Forum: iMac

Top Rated Comments

haruhiko Avatar
135 months ago
January = 31st January 2013 :)
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cisco_Kid Avatar
135 months ago
Assembled in the USA is already showing its ugly head, delay launch is step one, over budget will be next followed by quality control problems.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DrJohnnyN Avatar
135 months ago
Can't wait to own one! They're beautiful.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joesegh Avatar
135 months ago
Now the real question: when will they be available for shipping to Apple Stores?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
needfx Avatar
135 months ago
how can we be sure it is the new iMac we are ordering when it looks exactly the same from the front!!

I can't imagine what an unpleasant surprise that can be...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BRO,RUMAD? Avatar
135 months ago
January = 31st January 2013 :)

At 11:59 PM Pacific Time. :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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