Mac Pros Shipping Times Increasing

[deconstruct60]

I doubt Apple has no spare inventory at all. I'd put money on Apple having a week or twos supply of all it's base + popular CTO somewhere. Even if it's in a warehouse as a part of the supply chain.

Spare parts inventory? Or just some (spare) production inventory? Dipping into spare parts would be bad move. It wouldn't be surprising if there was a couple of weeks of inventory if the order rate has spikes in it (e.g., last/first week of month sees twice as many MPs ordered as the other weeks. ).

The iMac has a custom HDD doesn't it?

On 3 out of the 4 standard iMac models the 1TB HDD comes standard... same part used as on the Mac Pro configs.

Perhaps Apple have a decent supply of those custom drives as a large pre-order.

There is a decent supply because it is a standard config part.

Where the iMac custom drives probably help the Mac Pro is that when someone does a custom on an iMac that "frees up" a drive for the Mac Pro. If 10% of iMac users do that, the Mac Pro allocation doesn't completely dry up.

That's what I said? "Dell et al"...

Sorry, I missed that. But there are some folks getting them. Just not the usual suspects.

While not in ark.intel.com , they do have docs & et. leaking out more info....

http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2012/2012010702_Intel_Xeon_E5_CPUs_surfaced_on_Intel_website.html

I suspect Intel will wait after the CES disco show and they recover from whatever party time they squeeze in while in Vegas before launching the new Xeons. But it is kind of loopy if they wait weeks to launch something which is being listed on their website.

 

[Neodym]

On 3 out of the 4 standard iMac models the 1TB HDD comes standard... same part used as on the Mac Pro configs.
[...]
There is a decent supply because it is a standard config part.

IIRC the iMac had (and still has?) harddrives made proprietary with specific temperature sensors and Apple-specific firmware.

 

[deconstruct60]

IIRC the iMac had (and still has?) harddrives made proprietary with specific temperature sensors and Apple-specific firmware.

While Apple specific this only matter of changing cable (which Mac Pro doesn't need) or motherboard connector cable/firmware ( as comes from factory):

http://blog.macsales.com/10146-apple-further-restricts-upgrade-options-on-new-imacs

The flooding in Thailand didn't kill off 4 pin Molex power connectors (or proprietary 7 pin Apple ones either). It is drive mechanisms that are on a strict quotas right now. They may have to send some signals back up the supply chain so the slight flavor change gets delivered to the factory but it would be essentially part of the same parts stream from the supplier(s).


IIRC the Mac Pro's get Apple labeled/stamped drives also.

 

[Inconsequential]

Spare parts inventory? Or just some (spare) production inventory? Dipping into spare parts would be bad move. It wouldn't be surprising if there was a couple of weeks of inventory if the order rate has spikes in it (e.g., last/first week of month sees twice as many MPs ordered as the other weeks. ).

Spare, boxed, ready to ship to the customer of all their lines. As you said, for spikes in demand, etc.

On 3 out of the 4 standard iMac models the 1TB HDD comes standard... same part used as on the Mac Pro configs.

Your link says: "In short, the Apple-branded main hard drive cannot be moved, removed or replaced."

Seems pretty custom to me! If I can't replace the iMac's 2011 WD HD with the same WD HD out of the Mac Pro then they are simply not the same

Yes all Apple supplied HDs have Apple logos but the iMac ones are not directly swappable with the MP HDs.

Sorry, I missed that. But there are some folks getting them. Just not the usual suspects.

While not in ark.intel.com , they do have docs & et. leaking out more info....

http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2012/2012010702_Intel_Xeon_E5_CPUs_surfaced_on_Intel_website.html

I suspect Intel will wait after the CES disco show and they recover from whatever party time they squeeze in while in Vegas before launching the new Xeons. But it is kind of loopy if they wait weeks to launch something which is being listed on their website.

I think these companies don't care they are buying slightly buggered chips (C0 stepping - we get C1 stepping due to virtulisation issues or what not!?)

But either way: Untll other workstation manufacturers start shipping we have no reason to worry that the MP won't be updated.

 

[goMac]

Pretty sure the iMac differences are in firmware, which doesn't matter to Apple from a part stocking perspective. Pretty hard to have a firmware shortage.

 

[goodcow]

We have $20K to spend on three new MacPro's here at work, but of course I'm not upgrading until Thunderbolt equipped ones are one. Come on Apple...

 

[DisMyMac]

The 12-core now says 2-4 business days, and configuring doesn't change anything.

 

[goMac]

The 12-core now says 2-4 business days, and configuring doesn't change anything.

I'd guess Intel is ramping down production on the higher end Xeons.

 

[Metal Dice]

Looks like there is no shortage of anything. Almost every model is in stock in both Europe and the US.

 

[Blue Sun]

Looks like there is no shortage of anything. Almost every model is in stock in both Europe and the US.

We'll probably have to wait until the new Xeons are released before we see any definitive shipping increases.