New iMacs delayed, delivery before Christmas unlikely

As we predicted, you may not be getting your hands on a new iMac this side of Christmas.

MacBidouille has spoken to retail sources in France and reports that expectations that 21in iMacs would arrive on 27 November (the day after Thanksgiving in the US) have been dashed.

As for the 27in, presumed to launch in December, the availability is not looking promising.

Reports claim that the delay is down to problems with the manufacturing process that requires high pressure welding and is connected to the new screen lamination process. The screen lamination problems were first identified as a challenge by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in July.

Kuo noted that the new screen lamination process for the new iMac is more difficult with the 27in model, and suggested that as a result it would launch 6-8 weeks after the 21.5in option.

However, now both iMacs appear likely to miss the Christmas shopping season. And while the new iMacs are delayed, Apple has taken previous models of its all-in-one Mac off sale.

CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company were expecting that there would be supply constraints for the new desktop Macs. “We will have a significant shortage there”, he told analysts in a recent conference call.”