Wishful US customers may have a hard time putting one under the tree

Dec 3, 2012 07:38 GMT  ·  By

If you’re planning to put the cool wedge-shaped iMac box under the Christmas tree this year, you’d better visit the Apple online store fast. Supplies for the U.S. are dwindling down as you are reading these lines.

Apple had long confirmed that its new-generation iMacs would be constrained upon launch, and the listings at store.apple.com are now supporting those statements.

It won’t be too hard to get the 21.5-inch iMac before year’s end, as the quoted shipping time is 7-10 business days. Don’t hang on it too tight though, it could well be pushed to two weeks if customers keep scooping them up like hot cakes.

On the 27-inch front, things are looking even worse. Customers have to wait between three to four weeks to have a unit shipped to their address. As with the 21.5-inch configuration, the shipping quota can go beyond a month, if demand remains strong.

European stores are reflecting the same scenario. 7-10 business days for the low-end configuration and up to four weeks for the 27-incher.

In the United States, Apple is selling the 21.5-inch iMac with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M for $1,299.

The same configuration retails for €1,349 throughout the EU.

A more powerful version of the 21.5-inch iMac comes equipped with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M. This one sells for $1,499 in the U.S. EU buyers have to shell out €1,549 for this Mac.

The 27-inch iMac is available starting at $1,799 / €1,879 with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M, and at $1,999 / €2,049 with quad-core Intel Core i5 at 3.2 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX.

Storage is standard across all models – 1TB. Visit the Apple store here to review your options.