Those looking to pre-order face wait until January.
Consumers who pre-ordered the new large-screen iMac are being told by Apple that their orders are being prepared for shipping.
Members stemming from MacRumors' forum who purchased the large-screen iMacs said they've received notices claiming that the order status has been changed to "Preparing for Shipment." One consumer said his credit card has been charged by Apple.
Despite the notices, consumers say the estimated delivery time is still being displayed as a time frame between December 21 and 31.
Those looking to order a 27-inch iMac Apple iMac (2.9GHz model) will have to wait a while longer, either way. Apple had changed the shipping time for the larger iMac from three to four weeks to January, 2013.
The system had initially became available for pre-order on November 30, with an original wait time of two to three weeks. However, that increased to three to four weeks after a few hours.
During Apple's fourth-quarter earnings call in October, CEO Tim Cook admitted that supplies of the aforementioned iMac model would be "constrained" during the rest of 2012. Elsewhere, the 21-inch iMac showcases a ship time of 7 to 10 days.
I'm pretty sure you're not paying for performance when you buy any Mac computer.