MacBook Air stock selling out almost daily?
updated 11:50 pm EST, Sun March 2, 2008
MacBook Air Selling Fast
Regardless of the recent added pressure from the ThinkPad X300, Apple's MacBook Air is in such high demand that the company is having trouble maintaining the device in stock, according to checks by Ars Technica as well as daily updates from the Mac producer's retail availability page. Both major outlets as well as many smaller, regional shops claim to be selling entire shipments despite receiving new units each day; Apple itself continues to list extended shipping delays for direct orders and ranks the Air as its strongest-selling computer more than a month after early shipments began.
Some Apple stores continue to list stock, particularly in smaller urban areas, but third-party retailers are said to be encountering the effects of Apple's first-party demand. Amazon's MacBook Air listings list the most common $1,799 configuration as out of stock for the next two weeks, while brick-and-mortar retailers such as Best Buy are reportedly carrying relatively low stock as a result of Apple's need to fulfill its own orders, which are typically considered a higher priority than the reseller channel.
Apple has not commented on the MacBook Air's sales rate, making it difficult to determine whether the shortages are the result of a parts shortage or sincere interest in the system, which is competitive in the ultraportable class but is priced well above similarly-sized notebooks from the company. Recent analyst reports have suggested that sales were lower than for the original MacBook but strong enough to reach similar demand levels with some retailers.
Not Surprised
03/03, 07:55am reply
Under different circumstances, I would love to have this computer. I have a 17" Macbook Pro (which is better suited to my needs), but there are times that I get tired of it and want something smaller. The black keyboard is very nice and good to type on, and the display is very crisp.
I am curious if it gets as hot as the the other Macbook Pros, however.
dynsight
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Heat
03/03, 08:02am reply
Well, my MBA does not get any where near as hot as my old MBP did. It simply feels like a much better enginered enclosure than the MBP did - heat dissapation included.
Oh, and the display is noticably brighter than the current generation of iMacs - quite nice!
maae
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2006
Waiting for mine to ship
03/03, 08:15am reply
This might explain the delay with mine from Apple Edu. I ordered it Jan 21 and it got bumped once. The most recent status check shows it will ship on March 6th. Has anyone else been waiting so long for theirs to arrive?
jHal08
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2008
Woz isn't in the queue
03/03, 09:51am reply
In an interview with the SMH in Sydney today he thought too many sacrifices had been made to make it useful.
He also couldn't understand the excuse of battery life for not using 3G on the iPhone.
rubaiyat
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Feb 2006
Wow.
03/03, 10:13am reply
If the cost is in line with current drives, this will keep rotating media alive for a bit longer. Flash is on the way, but a 5X boost in capacity is a HUGE step.
bjojade
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
funny
03/03, 10:43am reply
This first line is really funny: "Regardless of the recent added pressure from the ThinkPad X300". Got a really good chuckle out of it.
Guest
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
MBA Temps
03/03, 11:57am reply
I've recently switched from a MBP to a new MBA - I can tell you that it runs MUCH cooler. Stays comfortably cool on the palm rests and just barely gets warm on the bottom. Very nice for a laptop.
CadetStimpy
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2003
Which Is It?
03/03, 02:40pm reply
"Apple itself continues to list extended shipping delays for direct orders and ranks the Air as its strongest-selling computer more than a month after early shipments began."
"Apple has not commented on the MacBook Air's sales rate, making it difficult to determine whether the shortages are the result of a parts shortage or sincere interest in the system"
shmoolie
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2002
BTW...
03/03, 02:43pm reply
Has anyone else noticed how slow this site has become recently? The new ads are killing the site load times.
shmoolie
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2002
Re: btw
03/03, 02:53pm reply
ad-blocker, ad-blocker, ad-blocker....
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001