After having earlier delayed the orders for its iMacs by 5 days to a week, Apple Sunday said that the shipments of its recently-launched 27-inch iMac computer models may be delayed by nearly two weeks; and rendered an apology to the consumers for the delay.

About the announced delay in shipping of the new iMac models, CNET quoted an Apple spokesman as saying: "The new iMac has been a huge hit and we are working hard to fulfill orders as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience or delay this may cause our customers."

There are speculations galore that the two-week delay in shipping of the 27-inch iMacs comes due to customer complaints about some graphics-related problems - including a yellow-tinted display and flickering screen - with the iMacs. Apple probably would use the extra time in fixing the issues.

Though Apple has refrained from giving any official reason pertaining to the announced delay in shipments, a support thread on the company's web site features as many as 81 pages of users' comments and display-related complaints about the iMacs.

Introduced on October 20, the 27-inch iMac started wading into troubled waters within a few days of its release, with customers complaining about the computer's slow playback of Flash video and other display problems. Some users have also complained that the iMacs received by them were damaged.