Customers waiting to purchase a new iMac may still have a considerable wait ahead of them, according to a c|net article that discusses the challenges Apple is facing producing the system in suitable quantities. To date, Ingram Micro and TechData — two of Apple’s largest retail distributors in the U.S. — have shipped less than 1,500 of the high-end systems, and have received no mid-range or low-end systems. C|net sources attribute the iMac production woes to an industry-wide shortage of flat-panel displays that could continue into next year. The iMac delay not only means longer wait times for customers, it also risks seriously affecting Apple’s earnings for the quarter, as well as giving PC competitors time to one-up the offering.