Analyst: Blames iMac Shortfall On Short Supply

Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) newest iteration of its all-in-one desktop computer, the iMac, hit stores at the end of last November, complete with a much thinner profile than its predecessor thanks to a unique screen lamination process. But instead of being able to give thanks to this new technology for boosting sales of the device — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had hoped that the redesigned iMac could be its desktop division’s savior — the company can instead thank the new manufacturing technique for creating huge delays.

On Friday, Apple’s website showed a shipping time of three to four weeks for the 27-inch version and two to three weeks for the 21.5-inch model. After the 27-inch iMac first became available on November 30, the initial ship time was set at two to three weeks, but in few hours that time increased to three to four weeks. The 21-inch version had been manufactured in greater numbers, so the initial wait time only amounted to 7 to 10 days. That greater availability only lasted for a relatively short period of time, and by January the wait time rose to between two and three weeks.

These waiting periods should not have come as too much of a surprise. In October, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tom Cook warned that that iMac supplies would be constrained throughout 2012, and there would likely be a “a significant shortage” of the devices. A report, acquired by DigiTimes in early January, blamed the mass production issues on Mac panel supplier LG Display (NYSE:LPL), which reportedly could only make approximately 100,000 units per month…