Mac OS X v1.0 Ship Date Slipping?

Probably not. Everyone we know, including all of us, who ordered Mac OS X more than 30 days ago received a notice from Apple yesterday stating that it is backordered and giving one the option to cancel the order. The Apple Store may be simply complying with a federal consumer protection rule noted here that requires shipping within 30 days of an order being placed or notification of the consumer of a further delay with an option to cancel the order. The WWDC page still stated the countdown to Mac OS X was 18 days at our publication time. The Apple Store still said March 24th as did the Mac OS X page. No need to panic, we think. [UPDATE: Apple just issued a press release confirming our conclusion. It states that Mac OS X has gone "Gold Master", has been sent for production and will be available March 24th as previously announced.] [Dana Baggett]