Apple fanatics can take a deep breath. The company’s 27-inch iMacs are still in production and are still for sale, despite widespread rumors saying otherwise in the blogosphere. Hardware Central explains why some customers are still waiting for their new iMacs and the company’s explanation for what went wrong.
Apple says it hasn’t halted production of the 27-inch iMac, disputing a widespread rumor that claims it hit the brakes to contend with technical problems.
The Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) blogosphere erupted with the rumor on Monday, but the company issued a statement to the Wall Street Journal contending that shipping delays — revealed on its Apple Store e-commerce Web site — have been caused by high demand.
The Apple Store lists the big-screen iMac’s two versions (one with a Core 2 Duo and the other with a Core i5 processor) as shipping in two weeks. However, the 21.5-inch iMac, which debuted in October at the same time as the 27-inch iMac, is listed as shipping in 24 hours.
(Amazon, meanwhile, has the 27-inch models listed as now available, further adding to the confusion.)
Speculation about the reasons behind the delays first appeared on the blog Hardmac on Monday and quickly made their way through all the popular Mac blogs, fueled by persistent complaints on Mac forums and fan sites about damaged machines, slow performance, and video problems.
Despite reports of hardware problems, the 27-inch iMac has also proven to be a hot seller for Apple. In December, Apple issued an apology for the model’s shipping delays, saying it was having a hard time meeting customer demand.
