It is often said that clues about what Apple is to launch at an upcoming event can be found if you take a look at Apple’s online store to see the expected shipping dates on certain products. So normally, a long wait time for Apple products ahead of WWDC would be a sure sign that something’s new coming, but in these days of global component shortages, there are plenty of reasons why buying a Mac isn’t as easy as it used to be.
Still, the timing isn’t great. As Apple readies the release of a new macOS beta, many developers are going to be looking for new machines in June to test out their apps, and they could be in for a long wait. Shipping of most MacBook Pros models is delayed for months, and stock of the new Mac Studio, especially the M1 Ultra model, is similarly constrained.
In fact, the only Macs that don’t appear to be in short supply in the U.S. are the older M1 Macs: the MacBook Air (1-2 weeks), and the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and 24-inch iMac, all of which are mostly available for shipping immediately. But Apple’s higher-end Macs are all severely constrained, leaving its most demanding customers in a bind and even the MacBook Air has a 7-9 week backlog in the U.K. Depending on the configuration you want, some higher-end MacBook Pro and Mac Studio models aren’t shipping until August.
While Apple shipping delays are hardly a new phenomenon, particularly with newer products, just last month, many of these products were being shipped within a couple of weeks. So it’s getting bad out there. We looked at the base configurations to track when you can expect to get your Mac if you order from the Apple Store today:
14-inch Macbook Pro
- U.S.: Delivery from July 15 to 29 (8-10 weeks)
- U.K.: Delivery from July 15 to 29 (8-10 weeks)
- Germany: Delivery in 7-9 weeks
- Australia: Delivery from July 27 to August 10 (3-4 months)
16-inch Macbook Pro
- U.S.: Delivery from July 15 to 29 (8-10 weeks)
- U.K.: Delivery from July 15 to 29 (7-9 weeks)
- Germany: Delivery in 7-9 weeks
- Australia: Delivery from July 27 to August 10 (2-3 months)
IDG
IDG
IDG
MacBook Air
- U.S.: Delivery from June 2 to June 9 (1-2 weeks)
- U.K.: Delivery from July 11 to July 22 (7-9 weeks)
- Germany: Delivery in 6-8 weeks
- Australia: Delivery from June 15-June 17 (2-3 weeks)
Mac Studio
- U.S.: Delivery from June 2 to June 9 (1-2 weeks) for M1 Max; July 11 to 25 (8-10 weeks) for M1 Ultra
- U.K.: Delivery from June 1 to June 10 (1-2 weeks) for M1 Max; July 15 to 29 (8-10 weeks) for M1 Ultra
- Germany: Delivery in 1-2 weeks for M1 Max; 7-9 weeks for M1 Ultra
- Australia: Delivery from May 26 to June 3 (1-2 weeks) for M1 Max; July 11 to 25 (8-10 weeks) for M1 Ultra
Studio Display
- U.S.: Delivery in 8-10 weeks
- U.K.: Delivery in 8-10 weeks
- Germany: Delivery in 8-10 weeks
- Australia: Delivery in 8-10 weeks
Willis Lai/Foundry
Willis Lai/Foundry
Willis Lai/Foundry
However, not every Mac is unavailable. You can still order these Macs in the Apple Store and get them (almost) immediately:
13-inch Macbook Pro
- U.S.: Delivery today or tomorrow
- U.K.: Delivery today or tomorrow
- Germany: Delivery tomorrow
- Australia: Delivery tomorrow
iMac
- U.S.: Delivery tomorrow
- U.K.: Delivery today
- Germany: Delivery today or tomorrow
- Australia: Delivery from June 8 (2 weeks)
Mac mini
- U.S.: Delivery today or tomorrow
- U.K.: Delivery today or tomorrow
- Germany: Delivery tomorrow
- Australia: Delivery today or tomorrow
Just because Apple has low stock right now doesn’t mean you won’t be able to buy one of the above Macs. We can confirm that various retailers do still have stock of certain Macs – and many of them are offering great discounts. Check out these articles that include the best deals on Mac you can get.
Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.