Time to rein in the Hounds of Rumor? Apple's always so tight-lipped about what it's doing that rumors often expand to fill the void of official news. Most recently, the complete and utter lack of iMacs in the retail channel (yes, a few people tell us that there are literally zero available to order, and stores are limited to stock on hand) has led to much speculation that Apple may be flushing their inventory to start fresh with a new iMac model any time now. After all, it's not beyond the realm of possibility; it's been nearly three months since the fruit-flavored models first appeared, and given the almost alarming frequency with which Apple's been revising the iMac, we'd say we're about due for another model.

Finally, though, Apple has broken its silence to put the matter to rest. Jeff Hansen, Apple's Senior Director of Channel Sales and Distribution, just sent email to all Apple-authorized resellers to explain what's up with all the shortages; that email has since been plastered all over the 'net, including at Mac OS Rumors. The gist of the letter is that the iMac shortages are not due to any discontinuations; all five flavors are still alive (contradicting news we heard recently that Tangerine had gotten the axe) and Apple hopes to deliver new supplies this week. Jeff says that it's all just a demand problem: "the demand for the new five-colored iMacs has greatly exceeded expectations... while it is difficult to maintain an adequate supply of all colors, we will continue to do our best to make them all available." Hm. Well, considering how tough it can be to find a Grape iMac, Apple might have to start doing better than their best to keep customers and resellers happy.

So there you have it. According to an actual Apple representative, all five iMac flavors are here to stay-- at least in the short term. Also, new supplies of all five flavors should start reaching resellers shortly. That means that if you really have your heart set on a specific flavor iMac, in a week or so you shouldn't have too much difficulty getting your hands on one. At least, we sincerely hope that that's what happens...