Partners Suspect Apple MacBook Shortage Fortells Product Refresh

“Usually when the channel gets constrained, it does indicate that a refresh is in the works. Apple is known for keeping its channel very thin and not having a lot of inventory out there, but we can typically get a hold of products unless Apple is trying to constrain sales,” said Nick Gold, director of business development at Chesapeake Systems, a Baltimore, Md.-based system builder who partners with Apple.

Apple unveiled a new version of its operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. Apple didn't reveal any MacBook or MacBook Air updates at the conference or thereafter, but the blog Apple Insider reported that production of a new MacBook Air starts this month.

Apple has a history of releasing new hardware along with software refreshes, and doing so with the MacBook and MacBook Air would allow Apple to introduce features that are currently available only in the MacBook Pro.

“It would make sense for Apple to do the OS release and the new laptop release at the same time,” said Gold.

In February, Apple added Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors along with Thunderbolt optical cable technology to its MacBook Pro line. The Thunderbolt functionality is also available on the iMac, and Apple began adding Thunderbolt enabled devices, and the cable itself, to the Apple App Store on Tuesday.

“Anything that comes out in the future, if it doesn’t have Thunderbolt, I would be shocked. Thunderbolt is the one thing that connects everything,” said David Doyle, vice president of Simply Consulting, a Vancouver-based partner.

Some partners caution that what seems like a reasonable bet on new hardware could just be a typical end of quarter product shortage. According to Brian Georges, co-owner of MacMedia, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Apple partner, sourcing products at the end of a quarter is often difficult for partners.