Analyst: iMac delays due to strong demand, not defects
updated 10:20 pm EST, Mon December 14, 2009
Apple desktop sales surge 74% over last year
Apple's recent shipping delays for the latest iMacs have allegedly been caused by an unexpectedly high level of demand, according to NPD analyst Stephen Baker. Mac desktop sales for October and November are reportedly up 74 percent compared to the same period last year. Baker believes the sales volume is to blame for the wait, rather than defective devices.
"It's not surprising Apple would be having problems supplying them [iMacs]," Baker told CNET. "I can't imagine in their wildest dreams they would have thought they would sell like this."
Separate reports suggest the supply issues are related to problems with cracked screens, system stability, and video glitches. Apple issued an apology for the shipping delays, claiming the iMac has been a "huge hit," although the statement did not mention any hardware problems.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Same period?
How about compare it to the same time the previous model was released? There's always a huge surge in demand when a new model comes out. Especially huge when it's a new design and not just a speed bump.
As far as shipping delays because of demand, that would make sense if products were actually shipping to resellers. We've only seen a handful of the orders we've placed come through. Certainly haven't gotten 74% more iMacs than we did last year at this time. About half as many have actually shipped.
Of those, about 25% of the 27" iMacs have had screen failures within the first 2 weeks.