Apple’s newest 21.5- and 27-inch iMacs are on track to meet their respective November and December sales dates, according to a Nov. 19 report from 9to5Mac. The report refutes an earlier media report of a design-related issue potentially preventing the all-in-ones from arriving before the holidays.
“Our sources say that Apple is already shipping new 21.5-inch iMacs to its distribution hubs across the United States and several other countries around the world,” 9to5Mac reported.
It added that while the 27-inch iMacs also seem to still be launching in December, as promised, “our sources say that there is a high chance that they will be available to order from Apple’s online store at the same time, or around the same time, as the 21.5-inch models.”
MacBidouille, a French Apple news site, had reported earlier the same day that it learned from a “commercial source” that the 21.5-inch iMac was scheduled for a Nov. 27 release but was facing delays that might have gift-givers offering holiday IOUs.
“Apple seems to have more problems than expected because of the new manufacturing process of these iMacs, which passes through a system of welding of aluminum under a high-pressure system [similar to that] used to assemble the wings of some aircraft, such as the Airbus A380,” MacBidouille (loosely) reported, according to a translation from Google.
Apple introduced the new iMacs at a San Jose event Oct. 23, describing them as built “with an unprecedented level of fit and finish.”
The new iMacs take up 40 percent less volume than their predecessors, reduce reflection by 75 percent, include Nvidia GeForce processors and quad-core Intel Core i5 processors that help to make the systems 65 percent faster, and even use up to 50 percent less energy.
At their thinnest points, the displays taper to just 5mm.
“The all-new iMac is unbelievably thin, yet packs an incredible amount of performance and technology into our most innovative desktop,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing, said in a statement accompanying the device’s launch.
The iMacs’ glass displays are attached to essentially a bent aluminum stand—a thin curve that, in profile, resembles a rounded corner of a billiards triangle and is where MacBidouille seems to be suggesting the issue resides.
9to5Mac, while refuting the delay claims, added that even with shipments on time, Apple will no doubt still be hustling to get iMacs through its doors. Writing that iMacs will be in “relatively short supply” at launch, it pulled a quote from Apple CEO Tim Cook, during Apple’s Oct. 25 earnings call.
“In terms of general shortages … on the iMac, we’ll be constrained for the full quarter in a significant way …” said Cook. “There will be a short amount of time to manufacture and ramp those, and I expect demand will be robust. … We will have a significant shortage.”