Resellers fed up with ongoing Apple shortages

Apple dealers are still experiencing severe product delays, complaining that the shortages affected sales during the Christmas period.

Apple dealers are still experiencing severe product delays, complaining that the shortages affected sales during the Christmas period.

Last November, dealers criticised Apple for delays to its products, maintaining that the vendor had again miscalculated demand for the machines. At the time, Apple vowed that it would sort out the problems.

However, Nigel Lomas, marketing manager at reseller Trams, said: "Product supply has been tight. It has been extremely frustrating, as supply from Apple has been up and down. In a way, we have suffered because of healthy demand."

Ron Collins, sales director at CallSaver, said he was "fed up" with Apple, and claimed that the vendor has "starved" the UK of products.

But Apple distributor Ingram Micro said supply problems were gradually being resolved. Greg Finney, Ingram's director of marketing, said the only remaining issue was the supply of the latest iMac DVD machines. "There is still a large backlog but we have been nibbling at it," he said. "We expect to have free stock of the DVDs by the beginning of February."

During the supply problems, Ingram saw an increase in non-Apple products being moved through Apple's channel, said Finney.

"There is a supply problem, but since the end of the quarter there has been better availability," said Elliott Shepherd, Apple general manager at reseller Computer 2000. "It's a shame Apple has not been up-front and given us reasons."

Speaking at MacWorld in San Francisco last week, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs demonstrated third-party Macintosh products, including the next version of the Mac OS, which is due for release at the end of this year. The final beta version of MacOS X will be sent to developers in the spring and Apple will begin pre-loading it onto Macs by January next year. Jobs also announced that we would finally drop interim from his job title after two-and-a-half years.