Apple Delays Shipping Of Xserve RAID Unit

by , 6:30 PM EST, November 21st, 2002

C|Net noted that Apple has delayed shipping the Xserve RAID unit some time in early 2003. The product was originally supposed to ship by the end of this year, which is fast upon us. From Apple's Xserve Web page:

We've received an overwhelming thumbs up on our Xserve 1U rack-mount server from customers and reviewers since it started shipping in July and now we're working hard to deliver Xserve's companion RAID product in early 2003, not by the end of calendar 2002 as originally announced.

The RAID unit is a companion product to Xserve, and is designed to help beef up Apple's server farm credentials. The product, which fits into a standard server rack, is also ideal for creative environments with large storage need. There is no reason for the delay being offered at this time. You can find more information on the Xserve and the RAID unit at Apple's Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

It's too bad Apple won't ship the unit until sometime next year, but the delay probably won't have much effect on the company's overall server strategy. Xserve is just now, slowly, beginning to get the attention of server folks everywhere. Many of those people are not Mac users, and are frankly only checking out the Xserve to see what they can do. These are the people Apple desperately wants and needs, but that process will be a slowly moving one. It takes time to build momentum in that market. Because of this, there isn't likely much demand for the RAID unit as of yet, and a few months delay won't matter a whole heck of a lot.

On the other hand, there are Mac houses that are already heavily invested in Mac assets, and some of those houses would certainly be interested in a nice fat Apple branded rack mount RAID solution. Apple may well be missing out on a few of those sales, but with the economy as it is, that number likely isn't all that big. So, again, a few months delay is not that big a deal.