14 DAY TRIAL // Apple fans in the United States can now order a Late 2012 iMac and have it shipped to their door in as little as 24 hours, provided that the order occurred during work days. At most, the computer will ship in 3 days now, as opposed to two weeks, which is the shipping quota for Europe.
In the US, any iMac configuration now ships in as much as three days, and as little as one, depending on a number of factors (shipping distance, stock availability, availability per configuration, etc.).
Apple sells the base model (2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5) for $1,299. The high-end version with 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, more powerful graphics and a larger 27-inch display goes for $1,999.
European customers can buy the low end configuration for €1,349 and the top-of-the-line model for the mind-boggling price of €2,049, which translates into 2,666 US dollars.
And that’s not the only downside of buying an iMac in Europe. In Germany, for instance, Apple fans still have to wait as much as two weeks to have one delivered to their door.
Apparently, Apple still doesn’t have a tight grip on iMac supplies in Europe, but we expect the Cupertino giant to reflect the US shipping times on the Old Continent relatively soon.
When the new iMacs started shipping late last year, CEO Tim Cook himself confirmed to analysts that the company’s suppliers were having a hard time improving their yield rates.
The new computers boast several new technologies that require rigorous testing, which ultimately means fewer units moving each day on the conveyor belt.
While these suppliers have managed to improve their yield rates in the past two months, more improvement is still necessary.
Visit Apple’s online store here to have a closer look at the spec sheets for Late 2012 iMac configurations.