NZMac.com - Supporting the New Zealand Mac community

Imagine paying for a computer in January and being told that you're likely to get hold of it some time in April. That's just one of the examples of the impact of Mac mini delays that are beginning to appear in the NZMac.com Forum , as avid Mac users and those new to the Mac in New Zealand, express frustration at trying to get hold of the latest Mac model from Apple.

Whilst it appears that standard mimi configurations were moderately available within the country in an earlier shipment, trying to get your hands on a more powerful Mac mini with such 'build to order' options as a superdrive, appear to be near impossible, with some people already having waited more than eight weeks.

Based upon reports from users of this site and from Resellers around the country, it appears that New Zealand is once again at the whim of Apple Computer in the United States and that all Mac users in this country can do is either give up or express frustration while waiting their turn.  Whilst it's hoped by all that New Zealand will indeed 'get its turn' soon with more models of the Mac mini arriving, no-one is prepared to make absolute promises.

At the same time, the fact that the Apple Computer Division of Renaissance (distributors of Macs in New Zealand) appears to have charged some customers as far back as January for Macs that they expected to arrive from overseas, shows that perhaps even Renaissance has been caught out by the extended delays. As one Reseller put it "People have to realise that the fault here is with Apple, not Renaissance. I believe that USA is getting stock priority."

Whilst there are reports of happy customers receiving the lower-end Mac mini models based on previous shipments to New Zealand, it appears that there hasn't been any deliveries to New Zealand for some weeks. Indeed, the online store at the Apple.co.nz website specifically states that purchasers of a Mac mini can expect delays of 5 to 6 weeks....
http://store.apple.co.nz/public/product/group.php?pgid=AP25

With even the lower-end models now on back order, the chances of getting your hands on a Mac mini appear to be as small as the machines themselves, with some frustrated 'Switchers' on the NZMac.com site now starting to regret their decision to buy a Mac because of the delays. Given that one of the main targets for the Mac mini are PC users who can add a cost-effective Mac to their desktop and begin a transition to a Mac life, it's incredibly disheartening to hear tales from Resellers of a number of 'Switchers' being forced to wait a long time for their first ever Mac and for avid Mac users to see that this delay might be lead PC users to ultimately switch back.

We can only hope that Apple Computer begins to acknowledge the consequences of the delays and the feelings it is creating with some customers, some of whom are focusing their attention on Apple's distributor in this country. Unfortunately it appears that like us, all Renaissance can do is sit and wait.

In the meantime, one Reseller comments that those wanting to ride out the waiting time, might find themselves waiting quite a while...."People that are waiting for stock to arrive, without an order somewhere, will be waiting a very long time, as they are selling out before there is 'free and clear' stock".

[Update 1]
Steve Ford, General Manager of the Apple Computer Division of Renaissance Ltd responds....

"We acknowledge that there is currently a longer than expected delay on shipments of Mac Mini, this covers both custom built orders as well as general channel stock.

This delay is caused by the heavy demand for the product globally. We hope to have some firm news on the next shipment very shortly and apologise to all those customers and channel partners that are experiencing a delay."

[Update 2]
The Apple.co.nz online store now lists a 5-6 week delay as opposed to a 3-4 week one. The story has been updated accordingly.

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