Where is the MacBook Air？ We will tell you how to get stock information.

Apple launched their new laptop PC “MacBook Air” in January and it is still limited in stores. There is a scramble for the “Air” all over the world (from the Press Officer at Apple). The shipment time is 5-7days at Apple’s Online Store. Home electronics stores in Tokyo also have no stock or only a few in stock. However, this situation is affecting the sales of other “MacBook series” laptops. The “Air” now leads the sales of Apple’s laptop PC.

The “Air” is still scarce at the stores. We can check the availability on Apple’s website.

The most recent topic of laptop PCs was about the “Eee PC” of ASUSTek. Because of its mobility and great price of less than ¥50,000, people rushed to the stores. It continues to be a top seller according to BCN Ranking, and was in fourth place on based on their weekly sales share during February 25th to March 3rd.

The “Air” is similar to “Eee PC” with its mobility but has a completely different concept. It costs over ¥200,000, weighs 1.3kg with a 19.4mm flat body. It also has a 13” display and full-size keyboard and is specific to mobile use. However, its sales are not strong. The “Air” shipped at the beginning of last month but the sales share during the last week of February was only 0.6%.

The reason for low sales share is scarcity. A certain store in Tokyo said, the “’Air’ is now sold out. The next shipment is still uncertain and we can only acquire a few at one time.” Some other stores are selling the “Air” but said, “This is the last one and it will be sold out soon.” If no stock is available, sales share will never rise.

The stock is more fluid at Apple’s direct shop, the “Apple Store.” Therefore, they show the availability of the “Air” on their website. Between 21:00PM to 9:00AM, you can check the latest “Air” availability for the Apple Store the next day. If you want to buy the “Air” as soon as possible, you may have to check this page and rush to the store.

We can see an unexpected ripple effect of the “Air”

Many media outlets are taking note of the “Air.” The Press Officer at Apple said that, “we receive requests from magazines which have little reference to PCs.” The “Air” effect appears in many places. Unexpectedly, other MacBooks such as MacBook or MacBook Pro also increased their sales. We can see this effect from amounts of sales shares.

In the Laptop PC market, Fujitsu, NEC, Sony and Toshiba are the top four makers and their sales share are about 20%. Apple’s share is running at less than 7%. However, their share is now up to 8.8% and it can aim for double-digit shares. If they can solve the scarcity of the “Air,” Apple’s laptop PC sales will increase strongly.（Original Text by Ichiro Michikoshi, BCN）