iMac shipping times slip as lower-priced models may arrive at WWDC

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited June 2014
With Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference just a week away, shipping times for new iMac orders direct from the company are advertised at between 3 and 5 business days, supporting rumors of new, lower-priced options coming soon.




All of the standard configurations of Apple's iMac, in both the 21.5- and 27-inch screen sizes, currently have delayed shipping. Typically, Apple ships orders of its new Macs to customers within 24 hours --?all of its MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models currently ship within a day.

As of this weekend, the iMac was also shipping in 24 hours, but it is currently seeing delays from Apple's own online store, and the wait is even longer for customers who may be looking to upgrade from the base configurations. For example, adding a 3.5-gigahertz quad-core Intel i7 chip bumps the shipping estimate to five to seven business days, while increasing the RAM to 16 or 32 gigabytes means the system will take up to 10 business days to ship.

Some authorized Apple resellers, as can be found in the AppleInsider Mac Price Guide, are also seeing limited iMac inventory a week before WWDC. And those in stock are currently selling at the steepest discounts to their price points of any current product in the Mac lineup -- all Mac models are available through resellers at discounts of around $150, the largest such discount seen for any Mac.

Amazon is completely sold out of the base-line 21.5-inch and 27-inch models, relying on third-party resellers who only have a handful of units left in stock. MacMall is also down to its last units on the 2.9-gigahertz 21.5-inch model, and the 3.4-gigahertz 27-inch model.

iMac


However, resellers B&H as well as Best Buy currently show all standard-configuration iMac models in stock, suggesting supply shortages are not yet widespread.

The timing aligns with claims from well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who revealed last month that Apple was planning to launch a new low-cost iMac model in the near future. With Apple's WWDC keynote set to be held next Monday, it would seem to be an opportune time for Apple to unveil a refresh to its all-in-one desktop lineup.

Kuo said the cheaper iMac will allow Apple to better compete with other all-in-one desktop makers HP and Lenovo, giving the Mac maker a stronger position with which to compete in growing markets like China. He expects lower prices to boost iMac sales by 23 percent this year, totaling 4.8 million units.

If cheaper iMacs do launch next week, 2014 could be shaping up to become the year of the cheaper Mac. Apple already cut the prices on its MacBook Air models with a minor processor update last month, making the thin-and-light machines the most affordable mass-market notebooks in the company's storied history.

The iMac lineup was last refreshed in September of 2013, when Apple upgraded the machines to Intel's Haswell processors. The desktops were also outfitted with speedy 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and also saw an upgrade to Nvidia's GeForce 700-series graphics.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    I hope they can make it thinner this time. /s

  • Reply 2 of 41
    imatimat Posts: 208member
    Give me retina and spec bump (Graphics especially).

    I think I need to purchase one soon (one of our offices iMac is showing its age because we started doing more intensive graphic work (not enough to justify a MacPro though))
  • Reply 3 of 41
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    I hope they can make it thinner this time. /s


     

    Really!  When are the going to have the pane-o-glass touch scene (finger print proof) with the XBit super-ethernet that is lit inside so it can't be read from both directions? "Security, security, we don't need no stinkin security ¡"* Of course the mech HD should be gone and all memory is shared in one giant pool that serves all systems and can be reallocated on the fly. 

     

    *Apologies to B. Traven's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

     

    Just bought a BTO with the 3.7gHz i7 Quad and 3 Tb Fusion with the fastest graphics I could get. Only Thing that sucks is that it is not waterproof so I could shave with it in the shower.

  • Reply 4 of 41
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member

    I can guarantee that Apple are about to release the cheapest, fastest, largest, highest DPI iMac you could ever imagine.

    The reason I can be so sure of this is that I just bought a new 27" i7 last week so they are bound to release an awesome update now.

  • Reply 5 of 41
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by iMat View Post



    Give me retina and spec bump (Graphics especially).



    I think I need to purchase one soon (one of our offices iMac is showing its age because we started doing more intensive graphic work (not enough to justify a MacPro though))

    Have you beheld a Mac Pro 'in the metal'? No one who does thinks again about justifying a purchase (unless one's wife and household budget are involved)! :-)

  • Reply 6 of 41
    rob bonnerrob bonner Posts: 237member
    Quote:


    However, resellers B&H as well as Best Buy currently show all standard-configuration iMac models in stock, suggesting supply shortages are not yet widespread.


     

    This made me chuckle, have not been in a best buy in years.  Not thinking they are the sign of anything relevant.

  • Reply 7 of 41
    inoseyinosey Posts: 89member
    Apple is*
    Apple is not plural, it refers to a company and therefore requires "is."
  • Reply 8 of 41
    inoseyinosey Posts: 89member
    evilution wrote: »
    I can guarantee that Apple are about to release the cheapest, fastest, largest, highest DPI iMac you could ever imagine.
    The reason I can be so sure of this is that I just bought a new 27" i7 last week so they are bound to release an awesome update now.

    Apple is. Not are. Apple is a company and therefore requires the singular helping verb of is.
  • Reply 9 of 41
    runbuhrunbuh Posts: 315member
    inosey wrote: »
    Apple is*
    Apple is not plural, it refers to a company and therefore requires "is."

    Depends on where you're from. In many countries, "Apple" is considered a collective noun and verbs can therefore take plural or singular forms depending on the intended usage.
  • Reply 11 of 41
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    If they do drop prices on the iMac, form will have finally and completely overtaken function.

     

    The problem with the iMac isn't the price, it's the inability to replace the RAM and HD.

     

    Design a semi-serviceable iMac, and keep the price and profit margin where they are.

  • Reply 12 of 41
    deegee48deegee48 Posts: 66member
    And Evilution is probably from somewhere in the British Empire. Nothing shows in his profile at the moment...
  • Reply 13 of 41
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    frank777 wrote: »
    If they do drop prices on the iMac, form will have finally and completely overtaken function.

    The problem with the iMac isn't the price, it's the inability to replace the RAM and HD.

    Design a semi-serviceable iMac, and keep the price and profit margin where they are.
    No more HDDs all Flash storage for all Macs from now on & a new wifi/Tbolt storage-tier product to make sure the SSD never fills up.
  • Reply 14 of 41
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    frank777 wrote: »
    If they do drop prices on the iMac, form will have finally and completely overtaken function.

    The problem with the iMac isn't the price, it's the inability to replace the RAM and HD.

    Design a semi-serviceable iMac, and keep the price and profit margin where they are.

    Changing RAM in a 27" iMac is fairly painless and requires no tools. You've never even able to change the hard drive/flash in an iMac so why would you expect this to happen? 9/10 people could care less about changing either the RAM or hard drive.
  • Reply 15 of 41
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member

    Add some Beats speakers to it too while your at it. Whatever they use now- sucks.

  • Reply 16 of 41
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by McDave View Post





    No more HDDs all Flash storage for all Macs from now on & a new wifi/Tbolt storage-tier product to make sure the SSD never fills up.

     

    If SSDs were 1/4 their current cost, maybe...

  • Reply 17 of 41
    Let me guess: they're going to drop the entry level model by $100 but also reduce its RAM to 4Gs and charge $100 to upgrade at time of purchase.

    ahem
  • Reply 18 of 41
    thx607thx607 Posts: 14member
    My grandfather bought his first few tv's as kits and put them together. For years it was common that people change tubes in radios, tv's and other electronics. For the most part , changing tubes, a stylus on a record player or even building your own tv could be achieved by a normally educated person with some degree of knowledge in electronics. The computer industry is no different, it won't be long that all electronics are completely non user serviceable. When was the last time you have upgraded any of the electronics I mentioned above? The real issue is not user serviceable but rather building computers and devices that last. I would say apple does well in this regard considering this year I finally retired a 2006 white macbook and 2006 Mac mini. They stopped being my main computers in 2012, but still ran daily until the end.
  • Reply 19 of 41
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    inosey wrote: »
    Apple is. Not are. Apple is a company and therefore requires the singular helping verb of is.

    Give the guy a break, he is probably English! The English have done more to screw up English the language than just about anybody. In England the proper English would in fact be the use of "are" even though the logic behind such usage is strained.
  • Reply 20 of 41
    inoseyinosey Posts: 89member
    runbuh wrote: »
    Depends on where you're from. In many countries, "Apple" is considered a collective noun and verbs can therefore take plural or singular forms depending on the intended usage.
    I getcha, sorry. My bad.
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