[MojoRising022]

So, it has been about 2 weeks since the iBook was announced and 2 weeks since a lot of us ordered the thing. Personally, I ordered the CD-RW model the second I could get onto the apple store on the 1st and two weeks later, I am still being assembled. While they say 3-5 weeks and I should have the patience to wait at least that long before bitching about it, I have a very bad feeling.

While it appears the CD-ROM and DVD models have shipped to some extent, it also appears that the CD-RW and Combo models have not. Why?

Does anyone else get the feeling these models might be the next in an ever growing line of Apple mishaps. Let's face it...they have not exactly been reliable lately. First, they ditch the 500mhz G4 after they announce and take orders for it about 1 1/2 years ago...then they can't ship the 733mhz or the Ti Powerbook following huge announcements and people were stuck waiting 2 months or more for their product (and in the Ti Powerbook case, defective products).

Am I being paranoid? I know that cooling a CD-RW in a laptop is an issue...could this account for an elongated shipping delay of the 2 high-end models? Could it be something else, like the manufacturer not having the ability to meet the demand (i.e.: the superdrive)?

Anyway, what do you all think? Will we see these models in "3-5 weeks" or are we in for a long, long wait?

[ink]

While I don't think we need to worry yet, I do believe that Apple needs to start announcing products *after* they have some sort of stock available. If I order an x86 box from Dell, it's here in 2 days if I pay for expediated shipping. If I order through FedEX from Apple, they'll ship it quickly after getting around to building it a month later.

[graffix]

Well...
Apple should have known that these would sell like hotcakes at a high-school fundraiser, and I assume would have had a sufficient supply of parts to build enough to meet the demand.
I also assume that both the CD-RW and DVD/CD-RW models are using brand-new portable optical drives, and must undergo sufficient testing to insure that they will perform as they are advertised (hence the 8x to 4x CD-R write speed reduction for the combo drive after the initial spec was published. In my opinion, the combo drive was probably rated for 8x burning, but it proved unreliable at that speed, so was changed to 4x where it performed reliably).
At least with the iBook, Apple forewarned that it would be a 3-5 week wait... they didn't want the same fiascos that happened with the TiBook release and the short supply of G4/733 SuperDrives (though they said in the beginning that the 733's would ship late, though not as late as it ended up being).
If it's the middle of June and I still haven't gotten my iBook, then I'll start worrying.
g.
P.S.

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First there was man,
then there was
Macintosh

I think that you also have to understand that it is a gamble for Apple to have things in the pipeline, so to speak. If the produces a great product and not enough people bought it, it would count against them when it came time for quarterly reports. I think that Apple is being really smart this time by killing two birds. First, they announce the new iBook well in advance of the 2001-2001 school year, second, they also say the there is a 3 to 5 week wait for delivery.

Realistically speaking I expect my iBooks to come the first week of June, late in that week. But even if I have to wait, which will kill me, in my frustration I still have to accept the way they are doing business as a stock holder. I see it as very smart.

Understand though, I too am unhappy for the wait since i too am part of this immediate gratification society.

Dosn't anyone remember mail order?

[DamnDJ]

I think Apple has done a great job so far with this product announcement. They said that the iBooks would be shipping in 3-5 weeks, and there's iBooks that started going out way before that timeframe.

Compared to past releases, I think this one has been done well...so far.

DDJ