Cupertino may be gearing up to launch something new soon

Sep 8, 2011 16:01 GMT  ·  By

You can count this one as an Apple-Store-Down news report, as Apple’s online store is now showing increased shipping times for pretty much all products in a single shot, something that may be indicative of a new product launch.

Although it’s not unusual for Apple to extend shipping times for certain products now and then, it’s interesting (to say the least) to witness an ETA extension for this many products, as MacRumors points out.

Shipping estimates in the U.S. online store at the moment include:

- iPhone 4: 1-3 business days - iPad 2: 2-3 weeks - iPod touch: 3-5 days (8 GB and 32 GB), 1-3 days (64 GB) - iPod nano: 3-5 days - iPod shuffle: 1-2 weeks - iPod classic: 1-3 days - Apple TV: 3-5 days

- MacBook Air: 3-5 days - MacBook Pro: 3-5 days for all models except low-end 13-inch, which remains at 24 hours - iMac: 3-5 days - Mac Pro: 3-5 days for all models except 12-core, which is at 2-4 day

The Mac mini is also unaffected. Those who order one now are promised to see it arrive at their door in 24 hours or less.

Admittedly, it’s purely speculative to say Apple has something in store for its customers given that many of these products were either recently refreshed, or haven’t yet burned their fuel in Apple’s yearly refresh cycles (such as the iPad).

Notably, the extended shipping estimates have been noticed both in the U.S. Apple store, and in Apple’s European stores.

It is also worth noting that the iPhone and the Mac Pro are the only products that are overdue for a refresh.

While Apple could launch a new Mac Pro in the next five minutes without too much fanfare, the same thing cannot be said about the iPhone 5 - the company’s iconic smartphone and one of the strongest pillar’s of their business.