Apple warning of impending Mac, iPod shortages?
updated 01:05 pm EDT, Wed July 30, 2008
Future Mac/iPod shortage?
Apple is warning that some products will be in short supply in the near future, according to a bulletin allegedly sent to resellers. The memo indicates that Apple is ramping down the production of current-generation iPods, along with 13-inch MacBooks, and 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pros. The company has "strongly suggested" that resellers should immediately buy about four weeks' worth of iPods, as the reservoir could go dry within the next seven days. MacBook vendors are being pressured to buy three weeks' worth of stock.
Apple has traditionally let retail stocks dwindle in advance of a new product announcement, a move which reduces the burden of outdated inventory while lowering the number of customers angry at a sudden upgrade. The most recent example is the original 2.5G iPhone, which gradually disappeared in the months before the launch of the iPhone 3G.
The company has also traditionally introduced new iPods in September, and is rumored to be working on a tall-screened iPod nano, as well as an unspecified revision of the iPod touch. A redesign of the MacBook could also be in the works, marking a switch from standard Intel platforms to custom ones, and possibly with glass trackpads. The end product of this effort would be at least six to eight weeks away from shipment, say reports.
Professional Poster
Joined: Feb 2002
"..are being pressured.."
Really? How exactly is Apple "pressuring" them to buy 3 weeks of stock? Are they threatening to withhold future stock if they don't? Another example of MacNN's liberal journalistic freedom. Appears to me that Apple is simply suggesting that if retailers want to have stock for the foreseeable future they would be wise to obtain it now. Nothing wrong with that.