Speaking of people snapping up iPods, it is 2004, right? We just thought we should make sure, because sometimes we screw up little things like the proper application of the infield fly rule, how to spell "noticeable," what year it is, etc. And really, on the year thing, who could blame us right now? After all, it's barely a week 'til Christmas, last-minute shoppers are just now getting revved up to do battle at the mall-- and while iPods are in heavy demand, they're sold out everywhere you look. Tell us that doesn't sound exactly like 2003 to you.

Okay, fine-- actually, they're not even close to being as hard to find as they were at this time last year, but the Wall Street Journal claims that neither are iPods as simple to locate and purchase as such a popular item should be. Reportedly "shortages... are common at major retailers across the country," with the most in-demand models being out of stock at Amazon, Buy.com, Best Buy, several Target stores, J&R Electronics, and other resellers. So pardon us if we experience a little déjà vu, because we thought Apple was supposed to have been prepared for the onslaught of "immense demand" this time around.

To be fair, though, "immense demand" is probably an understatement. Last holiday season Apple made and shipped 730,000 iPods-- twice the number it thought it would need-- and the rapacious hordes devoured them in no time flat, leaving shelves bare for iPod-hungry stragglers who found themselves relegated to buying novelty footwear as gifts for friends and family instead. This year some analysts (and, if the rumors are true, Apple's own forecasters) are expecting sales of four million units, and according to the Journal, "the holiday season seems to be exceeding even the bullish expectations of many retailers and analysts." So while it's certainly possible that Apple refused to learn from last year's shortfall and woefully underestimated iPod demand, it's probably far more likely that the company made-- and continues to make-- as many as it can as quickly as possible and is simply butting heads with certain physical limits of the universe, like the speed of light or the number of available teensy hard drives.

For what it's worth, Apple has issued a statement assuring customers that it's "making and shipping iPods as fast as [it] can," and so "if one store has run out, you may find iPods in another authorized iPod reseller." By all accounts, your best bet for where to score an iPod would be Apple's own online and retail stores, who seem to have less trouble keeping iPods in stock than third parties. (Not that we're implying anything, of course.) Even so, you're witnesses to a prime example of supply and demand in action; hard-to-find iPod models are reportedly commanding bids on eBay of up to 50 percent above their retail prices. And Buy.com was evidently feeling enough heat from its iPod shortage to send email to all registered customers with the subject line "iPod Alert: New Shipment Just Arrived." (They're HP models, but hey, it's better than nothing.)

In all, we can't wait to see the official December quarter sales numbers, because it looks like they're going to be downright scary. In fact, we've already started wrapping our heads in duct tape to prevent them from popping when we hear the news-- and if you value the structural integrity of your cranium, we suggest you do the same. Anyone got another roll or two?