Apple's Dec Shipment Costs for iMac or iTablet?

Here, I’m going back to the last financial call between analysts and Apple executives. Specifically, the part about the December transportation cost being higher than normal. I visited this in past posts but I think it’s time to do it again since we have some new developments.

The first likely theory is that the transportation costs to air freight products is related to the iMacs. Apple in its wisdom has anticipated the popularity of the iMacs. Hence, we’re seeing a 2-week delay in shipment. I did a couple of walkthroughs myself and haven’t seen one in stock. In trying to satisfy its likely high net-worth customers, Apple is shipping backordered iMacs by air.

Okay, that was the more likely scenario for the higher cost associated to shipment. Now’s less probable scenario. Apple has been stocking up on the iTablets. And once that announcement is made at a time and venue of Steve Jobs’ choosing, which most people agree it to be in January, he will also say that you can rush out and pick one up right away.

Improbable but not impossible. Apple has been able to secure new product into production and shipment without anyone getting a whiff of it. The most recent example in memory was the iPod Touch. No one had any idea, including partner ATT, that Apple would be shipping a, now very successful, phoneless iPhone.

But it makes sense that this is something Apple has the resources to pull off and is capable of scaring its sourcing partners into silence. Remember when Foxconn set up on the employee who lost an Apple preproduction device? Yeah. I do too.

Now back to reality. I don’t see this in our hands until the February or March time frame. That might not be a bad thing for Apple as many folks may be awash in tax returns.