I actually just yesterday ordered the Apple TV for one of our upcoming Gadget Model shoots, and today I received an email telling me about a delay from February to Mid-March.

You can read the email I got below. Basically Apple says the wrapping up took a bit longer than expected. This is an issue that Apple seldom has, because they just do not announce a product until its available. The Apple TV was different from the beginning. Steve Jobs pre-announced the back then called iTV already in September 2006.

Apple Email telling about the Apple TV Delay:

To Our Valued Apple Customer:


Thank you for ordering the new Apple TV, an easy to use and fun way to
wirelessly play all your favorite iTunes content from your Mac or PC on your
widescreen TV.

Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we
now expect to begin shipments in mid-March, not in February as originally
anticipated.

You may check the status of your order any time by visiting our online order
status website at http://www.apple.com/orderstatus.

A shipment notification, with tracking information, will be emailed to you as
soon as your order is shipped. There is no need to contact us unless you
choose to change or cancel your order.

We appreciate your business and thank you for shopping at the Apple Store!

Sincerely,
The Apple Store Team