Apple's new redesigned iMacs go on sale in the US, 21.5-inch models shipping in 1-3 days
Announcing earlier in the week that its new iMacs would go on sale at the end of November, Apple has pushed live orders for its new redesigned iMac models in the US but also in Canada and across Europe …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple has landed exactly where it said it would three days ago, when it announced the redesigned 21.5-inch iMac would be available Friday, November 30th — orders are now live in the US, Canada, and Europe with 1-3 day shipping on the smaller model, while the 27-inch stays on track for December. The machine itself dates back to the September unveiling of the new desktop lineup, followed by an October reveal and a review cycle that included The Verge's late-2012 iMac and Mac mini review.
The launch matters beyond the date being met: Ars Technica's teardown of the 21-inch unit shows newly rearranged innards, a sign of how much internal re-engineering the slimmer redesign demanded. That same tension appeared last cycle, when Apple pulled iMac orders ahead of the 2011 Thunderbolt-and-Sandy-Bridge refresh — a reminder that these transitions strain supply even when the calendar holds.
First-order effects
- US, Canadian, and European buyers can now order the 21.5-inch iMac with 1-3 day shipping, while anyone wanting the 27-inch must wait for December — splitting holiday desktop demand across two windows.
- Apple converts its November 30th promise into shipped product, giving reviewers' verdicts on the late-2012 iMac and Mac mini a live purchase path heading into the holiday season.
Second-order effects
- The staggered rollout pushes 27-inch purchases into December, concentrating Apple's desktop revenue recognition and channel inventory in the final weeks of the quarter.
- Teardown coverage of the rearranged internals puts Apple's assembly and component suppliers under scrutiny — if the new layout proves harder to build at volume, restock speed becomes the visible constraint.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern from prior refreshes holds, design-led iMac overhauls will keep trading launch-date precision for supply risk, making post-launch shipping times the real test of each redesign.
- The episode reinforces Apple's cadence of syncing major Mac refreshes to the holiday quarter, with desktops increasingly positioned around the same review-and-rush cycle as its iOS launches.
The trend: Apple's desktop business is shifting toward tightly choreographed holiday-quarter refreshes, where slim redesigns raise the stakes on manufacturing yield and post-launch supply.