Apple's new iPods reportedly in scant supply
If you're looking to get an iPod Nano or an iPod Touch when it ships later this month, you might face a wait, a new report says.
Apple's latest iPhone might not be the only device from the company that's difficult to pick up right around its launch.
A new report from Japanese Apple blog Macotakara claims that initial shipments of Apple's new iPods are due in the country next Tuesday, but that there are "considerably few numbers of the initial shipment."
The new iPods, which Apple debuted at the same event as the iPhone 5 in September are scheduled to ship sometime this month, though Apple has not provided specifics. A report from earlier today claimed it could be another two to three weeks before the models begin going out, while Macrumors points to some early buyers that have orders marked as "preparing for shipment" through Apple's online store.
The new iPod Nano and Touch are complete revamps of the previous models. In the Nano's case, it's a move to a larger touch screen that's running a non-iOS home screen with a handful of built-in apps. The iPod Touch, on the other hand, is a mashup of features -- some from the iPhone 5, and others from previous iPhone models. The screen, for instance, is the new 4-inch display found on the iPhone 5, while the camera and processor are closer to the ones found on the iPhone 4S.
Any shortages on the Touch's side could be the result of the screens Apple is using, which reportedly caused maker Sharp some headaches. The screens use in-cell technology, which combines both the pixels and the touch sensitive layer into one unit. The result is a screen that Apple says reduces glare, while improving sensitivity and contrast ratio. At the same time, the screens were reportedly quite difficult to produce. Last week one of Sharp's executives told Reuters the company was producing "adequate volumes" of the screen.
