14 DAY TRIAL // Customers all around the world are reporting that Apple have been unable to keep their promise and deliver the new 17-inch MacBook Pro models when they said they would. The 15-inch and 17-inch notebooks have been enhanced with new Intel Core 2 Duo processors, double memory and greater storage capacity.
Apple has sent this week an e-mail to its online customers in which they apologized because they will not be able to satisfy the delivery dates specified alongside orders for the 17-inch models. We are unable to ship your 17-inch MacBook Pro by the date given when you placed the order," the company wrote. "It is now expected to ship on or before 11/14/06. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this delay may cause and we are making every effort to ship this unit as soon as possible.
More information about the cause of the delay was not offered by Apple, but informed speculation would point to a component specific to the 17-inch models, such as casing element or the notebook's 17-inch LCD display, AppleInsider writes.
For the most part, Apple has been able churn out the majority of its orders for 15-inch Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro models, which share many of the same components as the 17-inch model. However, there have been some exceptions in international regions. One Switzerland-based Apple customer told AppleInsider that his 15-inch MacBook Pro order was delayed from Nov. 8 to Nov. 17. Unlike the generic automated responses sent to US Apple store customers, the company cited "unexpected high demand" in the case of that order.
Apple's lack of detail regarding the delay of the 17-inch MacBook Pro has caused many customers to express their displeasure quite rapidly; but this is not the only reason. Other customers are disappointed by the delay only because they are anxious to get acquainted with their new systems.
"I ordered mine online through the Apple store on Oct. 30th. Originally it said it would ship in 7 to 10 days. When I checked the order status this morning is says Nov. 14th," wrote one member of the AppleInsider forum. "I'm going nuts, cause this is my first Mac, and I can't wait to throw my XP machine out the window."
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