Mac users waiting for new, high-end MacBook Pro models may have been disappointed last fall, when Apple released the M5 upgrade for the lower-end 14-inch MacBook Pro without touching the M4 Pro or Max versions of the laptop. But the wait for the M5 Pro and M5 Max may be coming to an end.
Tea Leaf Readers at MacRumors I noticed Shipping times for a few high-end MacBook Pro configurations have been pushed back to mid-to-late February, instead of being available immediately as is the case with most Mac models. This is often, but not always, a sign that Apple has slowed down or discontinued production of an existing product in anticipation of an update.
Currently, shipping delays are affecting the M4 Max versions of both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. If you order today, these models will arrive sometime between February 3 and 24, depending on the configuration you choose; Many versions of the M4 Pro are still available for same-day shipping, though adding a nano-texture display or RAM upgrade can add a week or so to the shipping time.
Apple could choose to launch new Pro devices on January 28, to go along with the new Creator Studio subscription it announced last week. Primarily aimed at independent content creators who make their own video, audio, and images, Creator Studio bundles Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and enhancements to the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps (along with some other odds and ends) for $13 a month or $130 a year. None of these apps require a MacBook Pro, but many of them will take advantage in some way of the extra CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage available in Apple’s high-end laptops.
Of course, an impending replacement isn’t the only reason why shipping estimates for any given Mac might be low. An ongoing shortage of AI-powered RAM could cause problems, and Apple may prioritize production of the widely used base-model M4 and M5 chips for its larger, more expensive, and more complex Max models.
But the only other device in Apple’s lineup that offers the M4 Max and similar RAM configuration options is the high-end Mac Studio, which isn’t currently subject to the same shipping delays. This means that the delay is specific to the MacBook Pro, and one explanation for this is that the laptop is about to be replaced.