iMac ship time backed up for customers, dealers

Less than a week after their formal debut and announcement of three day availability in the U.S., Apple has backed up it’s estimated shipping status on all iMac configurations through the U.S. online Apple Store to seven days from three (see photo at right). Some MacCentral readers awaiting their new iMacs have also received e-mails informing them of delays in their orders being shipped.

Customers in Great Britain and Germany are now being quoted a 10 day shipping wait on new iMacs, up from 7 days just last Friday.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the systems during his keynote address from Macworld Expo in Tokyo last Thursday.

The new shipping ‘window’ is more in line with what some Apple dealers were first told by national distributors like Ingram Micro, who are not expecting units until March 12.

MacCentral reader Richard Williamson received e-mail from Apple on Saturday informing him that his Flower Power, 600Mhz iMac would be at his doorstep a little later than first expected. Williamson’s e-mail said his system would ship on Tuesday, March 6 and that the delay was “due to high demand for the popular” product.