iMac CTO shipping times slip due to shortage of 2 TB hard drives

Hoping for a configure-to-order iMac with a 2 TB hard drive underneath the Christmas tree this year? AppleInsider is reporting that shipping times for iMacs with the 2 TB hard drives have jumped from 1 to 3 days up to a whopping 5 to 7 weeks. While ordering an iMac with a 1 TB drive or an SSD ensures that the computer arrives within a week, clicking the 2 TB option causes the delivery date to push out to well into the new year.

Oddly enough, Mac Pro ship times are the same for models containing 1 or 2 TB drives. Of course, the demand for the much more expensive Mac Pro is considerably less than that of the popular iMac.

The culprit appears to be the ongoing situation with flooding in Thailand. According to a blog entry on the website of peripheral seller OWC, the floods have not only affected manufacturers like Western Digital, but also the companies that create the components used in the assembly of hard drives.

OWC states that despite the statements of industry analysts, many of whom believe the shortage will be alleviated by the summer of 2012, there are signs that hard drives shortages could persist throughout next year. In the meantime, you'd better snap up that 1 TB version of the iMac before the wait times on shipping start to slide.