Component shipments for Apple's new iMac suffered a big drop on month in February due to fewer working days caused by the Lunar New Year holidays and March shipments are also expected to be weaker than those in January, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

The sources pointed out that their component supply volumes in the fourth quarter of 2012 and in January 2013 were both higher than iMac's sales during the corresponding periods, indicating that Apple still has a high level of component inventories. Apple was obviously clearing its inventory in February and it is likely to continue doing so in March, affecting shipments from component suppliers, the sources added.

Since Apple usually provides upstream suppliers with its product shipment estimates for the next quarter at the end of each quarter, its current inventory status should become clearer in mid-March, the sources noted.