Retailers Report Holiday iPod Shortages

Last-minute shoppers looking for an Apple iPod may have a hard time finding one, according to retailers. iPods have been sold out or in very short supply at brick-and-mortar stores such as Circuit City and Best Buy, and online at Amazon.com.

However, those who can deal with an HP iPod will be able to find it at most locations such RadioShack, which decided to jump on the iPod bandwagon earlier this year.

"I was at an Apple store just yesterday and the place was packed with people looking at iPods and iPod accessories," Susan Kevorkian, an analyst at IDC told Reuters. "There's no question that iPods are an extremely hot item this holiday season."

Apple says that component shortages are not to blame for the short supply, it's just high demand. In a conference call, Apple said that an increase in supply is expected in the first quarter of 2005, however, "the demand on this is very difficult to call."

The company also refused to disclose how many iPods it has sold until Apple releases its fourth quarter financial results in mid-January. Analysts speculated that even Apple may be "taken aback" by the demand for the market-leading audio player.