Dwindling MacBook Air Supplies Signal Imminent Refresh?

Supplies of Apple's MacBook Air have run dry throughout the company's indirect sales channels, signaling that a refresh could be near.

According to AppleInsider, all of the retailers it tracks have run out of low-end 1.83GHz MacBook Air, including Amazon.com, MacConnection, MacMall and J&R. At least two of those resellers also have no stock of the high-end 2.13GHz configuration.

What's more, people familiar with the buy side of operations for big box retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.com say that Apple has indicted to them that it will not replenish supply of the notebooks until Oct. 12 through Oct. 16 at the earliest. Such expansive delays on low volume products like the MacBook Air are common only when Mac maker is preparing to overhaul the product line, these people say.


The site notes that last year in mid-October Apple unveiled a redesigned iMac and unibody MacBook and the year before that Apple introduced new MacBooks.

A recent report claimed Apple has placed orders for an 11.6-inch MacBook with Quanta. This follows a previous report in July that predicted a new slimmer and lighter MacBook which features an Intel Core i-series ultra-low voltage processor and will be released in the second half of 2010.

Update:
TUAW has heard that Apple Stores are pulling all of the MacBook Air SuperDrives from shelves. These drives are exclusive to the MacBook Air.

We'll let you know as we hear more...


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