Apple TV out of stock in 98% of U.S. Apple stores — prepare for something new

You’ll be hard pressed to find an Apple TV in stock at an Apple Store today: 98 percent of the company’s retail locations now report that the media set-top box isn’t available for immediate pickup when placing an online order, reports MacRumors.

The shortage lends credence to a report from last week that suggested Apple would unveil a new Apple TV at its iPad HD event on Wednesday. With new Apple TV model numbers already popping up, as well as the fact that the current Apple TV was first unveiled back in September 2010, it makes sense that Apple would deliver a new model tomorrow.

In New York City, only the SoHo Apple Store has the Apple TV in stock, according to the online Apple Store. All other local stores, including the flagship Fifth Ave. and new Grand Central locations, are showing availability of March 9. The Apple TV is still in stock on the Apple Store if you choose to ship it to your home.

So what would a new Apple TV mean for you? For one, it’ll likely offer support for 1080p high-definition video and include a faster processor (we’re assuming whatever the iPad HD will use, possibly the A5X). It will also be the perfect companion to the iPad HD, which will likely sport a new high-resolution display capable of running 1080p video. Beyond that, we don’t know much, though we can speculate what an iTV might include.