The 16-inch MacBook Pro is showing as unavailable for pickup at many Apple stores, with online orders showing delayed shipping too.
That is naturally creating speculating about an imminent launch of the upcoming M1X model – which turned out to be correct!
Mark Gurman spotted the issue.
While there’s no one who would be happier than me to see the launch of the 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon, there is an alternative explanation for the lack of immediate availability: supply chain issues.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro (which if you’ve lost track still uses Intel and hasn’t been updated in 2 years) is showing unavailable for pick up at many Apple stores plus shipment delays.
As long ago as April, Apple warned of worsening component supply shortages, saying that these would affect iPad and Mac availability.
The “legacy node” issue relates to unexciting but crucial older tech still found in today’s devices, like the chips used to drive displays. The company warned that this could cut sales revenues by as much as $4B in the current quarter. Apple will likely update us on the situation at its next earnings call on October 28.
“We expect to be supply-gated, not demand-gated,” Cook told analysts. Cook also explained that “legacy nodes” are the biggest issue in the shortage, and it’s hard for Apple to predict an impact because there are so many players involved. Apple has also seen a boon in iPad and Mac demand over the last year due to people working and learning from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
All the same, we are expecting to see an M1X 16-inch MacBook Pro very soon. Volume production was reported to have begun in August as the company builds stock ready for launch demand.
The M1X chip will of course bring performance and battery-life improvements. Bloomberg reported that we’re expecting to see a total of 10 cores – eight high-performance and two energy-efficient ones. RAM is expected to max out at 64GB.
We recently rounded up what else to expect from the new machine.
The new MacBook Pro models are expected to be the highlight of an upcoming Apple event.
The new MacBook Pros are said to feature an all-new form factor and will reportedly be available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes using the new mini-LED screen technology.
The new MacBook Pros will purportedly feature a new flat-edged design similar to what we’ve seen in the latest iMac, iPad Pro, and iPhone 12 designs. Another major design change will be the removal of the Touch Bar, with Ming-Chi Kuo indicating that Apple will return to a traditional function row of keys instead.
Bloomberg also reported that the new MacBook Pros will feature an HDMI port and an SD card slot, alongside the return of MagSafe technology for magnetic charging. Images and diagrams leaked as part of an Apple ransomware attack seemingly corroborated this, showing an HDMI port, USB-C port, and SD card slot on the right-hand side and a MagSafe connector, two USB-C ports, and a headphone jack on the left-hand side.
