NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL video cards causing Power Mac delays

People are receiving letters now that their Power Mac orders are delayed, but not because of G5 contraints. There are delays with the NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card. The interesting part is that Apple is offering to ship the machines with the ATI Radeon 9600 XT, and then will ship the NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL a few weeks later. There is no indication yet whether or not the Radeon 9600 has to be returned.

The email from Apple is as follows:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for ordering the new Power Mac G5 with NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL Graphics card. Due to an unexpected delay, we cannot meet your estimated August 31st ship date.

Your satisfaction is important to us and we’d like to get your order to you as quickly as possible. In order to do so, we will configure and ship your G5 with an ATI Radeon 9600 XT w/128MB SDRAM card by September 3rd so that you can begin to enjoy your new PowerMac. Additionally, we will send an NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL Graphics Card Stand-Alone Kit by September 17th. There will be no additional cost to you.

If this solution is acceptable to you, no further action is necessary.

If you plan to use your new system with an Apple 30” Cinema HD Display that only works with the NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL Graphics card or you would like your system to ship with the NVidia card installed, please reply to customerconfirm@apple.com so that we can process your order accordingly. If you choose this option, we expect to ship your G5 order by September 13th. Please rest assured that we fulfill all orders in the order they are received.

There is no need to contact us if the solution specified above is acceptable.

Contacting us is easy:

By email: Forward this note to customerconfirm@apple.com and check the option below.

____ Please ship my system with the NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL Graphics card installed by September 13th. My order number is xxxxxxxx.

____ Please cancel my order. My order number is xxxxxxxx.

By telephone: Please call 800-676-2775, extension 55850, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. central time and Saturday and Sunday between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. central time.

Sincerely,
The Apple Store Team