Apple said Thursday that it will run out of current inventory of its iMac machines before a new model debuts this fall, a gaffe that sent its stock sinking and could mean the company will miss the crucial back-to-school selling season.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker has stopped taking orders for iMacs at its online store, and posted a message on the site that read, �We planned to have our next generation iMac ready by the time the inventory of current iMacs runs out in the next few weeks, but our planning was obviously less than perfect.�
Oops.
�We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers,� the message concluded.
Apple also acknowledged that the new version of the iMac -- which currently looks like a lamp stand with a flat-panel display instead of a shade -- won't be available for sale until September.
The blunder leaves Apple a multi-week window without supplies of one of its best-selling products, and means the company will miss out on much of the lucrative back-to-school computer buying season of late summer and early fall. Schools, universities, and their students are among Apple's core markets.
The delay took an immediate toll on the company's stock price. By mid-day Friday, Apple shares had fallen by 4 percent to $30.89 from Thursday's close of $32.30.
Analysts had expected that Apple would unveil a new iMac this week at its Apple Developer's Forum in San Francisco, but instead the company touted its new operating system, dubbed �Tiger.�
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