You're Not Getting a New MacBook Pro Any Time Soon

Apple continues to suffer production delays caused by COVID-19 era factory closures, and the products taking the biggest hit are its customized 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations. Long story short, you'd be lucky to get one of those 2021 MacBook Pro models by the end of June 2022.

In a recent Bloomberg report, China's zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19 outbreaks seems to be the culprit behind the lengthy delivery date estimates. And at least 30 Taiwanese companies have suspended production in China because of lockdowns to prevent coronavirus spread.

On April 13, the estimated delivery dates for almost any customized 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configuration in the U.S. were pushed back as late as June 16. Just a few days later, it's already pushed back another week to June 21 for both delivery and pickup. And it's not just for new orders — many orders placed between February and now are also being delayed.

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For example, I ordered a customized 14-inch model at the start of February with an original delivery estimate no later than April 13. The end date was pushed back 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 placed on my payment card.

Apple's website states that "[it] receives authorization to charge your account prior to shipping your item(s)." So authorizations usually mean the product is ready to ship. However, for delayed MacBook Pros, the authorization is placed to confirm it's still valid and has a high enough balance to complete the purchase, according to an Apple representative — an attempt on Apple's part to avoid even further delays. The authorization should disappear in a week, give or take, depending on the bank.

The production shutdowns in China show no signs of slowing down, so it's very plausible that the June 21 delivery deadline will be pushed back yet again for customized orders.

If you want the base model, you can likely pick it up right now or in a day or two at your local Apple Store. However, delivery estimates are also long, currently maxing out on June 8 for most of the United States. Base models include the:

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

All M1 Max configurations are delayed. Most of Apple's other computers (13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini) are not experiencing any holdups.

Cover image via Apple