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Investment research firm PiperJaffray today reported that its checks of Apple retail stores reveal that Apple is "highly stocked" heading into the holiday season, while third-party retailers are "struggling to replenish" supplies. Reiterating an "outperform" rating, the firm said that the distribution limitations may limit iPod sales and that Apple may not be able hit iPod shipment numbers estimated by some Wall Street analysts. Late last week, 8 of 10 Apple stores had all iPods in stock; however, only 2 of the 20 third-party retailers, however, had all varieties of iPod. Inventory for both the iPod and nano remains spotty...

Bear Stearns analyst Andrew Neff predicted Apple would ship 14.1 million iPods in the December period. That's nearly half of the total shipped since the product debuted in late 2001. Shoppers are almost sure to feel the sting as well, especially on red-hot products like the black 4-gig nano and possibly for both versions of the video iPod, including the 30-gigabyte and 60-gigabyte models. "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.

iPod Nano owners in screen scratch trauma Front panel scratches 'insanely easily' By Charles Arthur Published Friday 23rd September 2005 13:20 GMT People slavering to get Apple's "impossibly small" iPod Nano into their sticky hands may want to pause a moment: those ahead of them in the queue have discovered that it's also unbelievably easy to scratch the screen, nixing its photo-displaying abilities. Apple's discussion forums are already host to a 188-post thread on the topic, where people have spotted that the plastic used for the screen and front of the product is as sensitive as a Kate Moss sponsor....

Shame On You: The Apple iPod Battery Replacement Problems Are Creating Problems Feb 25, 2005 3:00 pm US/Eastern NEW YORK (CBS) The Apple iPod is one of the most popular consumer electronic products in history. Thus far, 10 million have been sold to music lovers. But you may be surprised to learn what happens when the battery on the iPod dies. Our Shame On You team reports that battery replacement problems are making some people irate over the iPod. See why Arnold Diaz puts Apple in the Hall of Shame. Video at the link Here: is the link to the...