Sunday, March 2,2008 @ 11:50pm
MacBook Air stock selling out almost daily?
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.