iPod Famine?

Just like the great Irish potato famine and the Tickle-Me-Elmo supply implosion, a new shortage of something we need to survive may be a-cookin': an iPod shortage at Amazon.com that seems to be spreading along other distribution channels.

This according to Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros., whose research indicates that Apple is suffering from an acute iPod shortage due to stronger-than-expected holiday sales. Good news for the economy, perhaps, but not for iPod shoppers at Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target, who have all added their names to the shortage list that began with Amazon.

With the world's finances in le crappier and holiday shoppers making tough decisions, it's really not surprising that Apple dialed back the expectations for the iPod - forecasting only 18 to 19 million iPods sold this season compared to last year's 22 million. It looks like they might have been too conservative - but how will the public survive in an iPod-deprived consumer environment?

Analyst: iPod shortage spreading [CNet]