You won’t get a new MacBook Pro anytime soon

Apple continues to suffer from production delays caused by factory closures during the COVID-19 era, and its products, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations, have been hardest hit. In short, you’ll be lucky to get one of these 2021 MacBook Pro models by the end of June 2022.

In a recent report by Bloomberg, China’s zero-tolerance policy on COVID-19 outbreaks appears to be the culprit behind long lead-time estimates. And at least 30 Taiwanese companies have suspended production in China due to the coronavirus lockdown.

On April 13, estimated shipping dates for almost every custom 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configuration in the United States were pushed back to June 16. Just a few days later, it has already been rescheduled for another week, to June 21st. both delivery and pickup. And it’s not just about new orders – many orders placed between February and now are also delayed.

For example, I ordered a custom 14″model in early February with an initial shipping estimate no later than April 13th. The end date was moved to April 29 in the last days of March and again to June 21 on April 16. Each time it was pushed back, an authorization was put on my payment card.

Apple’s website states that “[she] gets permission to withdraw funds from your account before shipping your item(s).”Thus, authorization usually means that the product is ready to ship. However, according to an Apple spokesperson, for a delayed MacBook Pro, authorization is being done to confirm that it is still valid and has a high enough balance to complete the purchase – an attempt on Apple’s part to avoid further delays. The permit should be gone in a week, give or take, depending on the bank.

The production shutdown in China shows no signs of slowing down, so it is likely that the June 21 delivery deadline will be pushed back again for custom orders.

If you want the base model, you can most likely pick it up right now or in a day or two from your local Apple Store. However, shipping estimates are also long, with most of the United States currently peaking around June 8th. Basic models include:

• 14″M1 Pro with 8-core CPU, 14-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB memory and 512GB SSD
• 16″M1 Pro with 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD.
• 16″M1 Pro with 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, 16GB memory and 1TB SSD

All M1 Max configurations are delayed. Most other Apple computers (13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini) experience no lag.