So everyone, including PC Magazine subscribers, apparently thinks that Macs are super-cool and ultra-reliable and at the very least the cat's pajamas, if not the contents of the whole freakin' feline sleepwear walk-in closet. Great. Now, uh, suppose we'll actually be able to buy one anytime soon? Because to hear Think Secret tell it, you'd think that scoring a new Mac these days ranks in difficulty somewhere up there alongside memorizing and reciting all of Paradise Lost or using Windows for more than half an hour without twitching. Well, okay, maybe things aren't quite that bad, but reportedly "channel availability of several Apple products is expected to be constrained during August and possibly into September."

Let's check the list, shall we? First up: Power Macs. While everyone knows that dual 2.5 GHz models are harder to find than a porcupine wearing Prada, word has it that the low-end dual 1.8 GHz configuration has also been "extremely constrained since the product first started shipping," with hundreds of units backordered at Apple's distributors-- and apparently the mid-range dual 2.0 GHz systems aren't exactly plentiful, either. Resellers claim that "almost nothing has moved" since the new configurations were unveiled two months ago, and "all estimated ship dates keep getting moved further and further back"-- which is odd, given that the Apple Store only quotes a 3-5 day wait for new low-end and mid-range Power Macs ordered directly from Apple. Why do we suspect that someone's scribbling down notes for exhibit Q in the reseller lawsuit?

As for iMacs, well, you already know the score on those-- nothing, not even preorders, until the G5 version surfaces next month. And since people can't get their grubby mitts on Power Macs or iMacs right now, some people shopping for Mac desktops have little choice but to pick up an eMac; luckily "Apple appears to be keeping up fairly well with demand," but Apple's margins may have taken a hit this quarter as a result-- if we didn't think that a lot of customers were deciding to get portables instead.

As far as availability of laptops is concerned, it's a crap shoot: some resellers are lucky, others not so much. Generally speaking, though, if you're in the market for a new PowerBook or iBook, you probably won't have much trouble finding what you need. Some dealers report shortages of 12-inch PowerBooks or high-end 1.2 GHz iBooks, but for the most part, you should be good to go. But are you sure you wouldn't rather lug around an Xserve? Because after a late start out of the gate, "availability is good." C'mon, just imagine popping one of those puppies onto the desk at a meeting.

Overall, the picture isn't exactly dire (especially if you're buying direct from Apple, apparently), but still, we can't help thinking that if someone wants a new Mac of a particular variety, it might be nice if he or she could, y'know, just go out and buy already. Geez, they're not iPods, for Pete's sake.