Wait time for 21.5-inch iMac now up to three weeks

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Consumers who buy the 21.5 inch iMac will now have to wait up to three weeks before it arrives on their doorstep.

For more than a month, the ship time had been a "mere" 7 to 10 business days for the U.S. and several other countries. As of yesterday, the new estimate of two to three weeks is now the norm in Apple online stores around the world, including the U.S., U.K., China, and Japan.

Until now, the 27-inch iMac had been the problem child, with ever-rising wait times. Available for preorders in October, the 27-incher was initially given a ship time of two to three weeks. But that jumped to three to four weeks after just a few hours.

In early December, Apple revised the forecast for the 27-inch model to a vague timeframe of January but then ... [Read more]