If you plan on buying an iPod for someone as a gift this year, you may have quite a search ahead of you. BusinessWeek reports that numerous retailers are already warning that they won’t be able to keep up with demand for the hot devices.
“With the holiday shopping season at hand, two truths are swiftly emerging about Apple’s iPod,” says BusinessWeek’s Peter Burrows. “First, the product is going to be a gigantic hit. Second, there are going to be shortages. The only question is how big the shortfall will be. Some retailers say they’re getting far fewer iPods than they requested—in two cases, fewer than half of their weekly orders. Also, retailing giant Circuit City expects demand to outstrip supply through the end of the year.”
Crutchfield, which currently has $4 million of all iPod models on order, said that Apple typically ships less than 30% of what the online retailer requests each week. “If you want to get an iPod for someone this Christmas, I’d advise you to get it now—if you can find one,” says Scott Anderson, merchandising manager for online retailer Crutchfield.
