Mike Wuerthele
A batch of orders for early MacBook Pro with Touch Bar have updated, with some very early purchasers being told that the order was "preparing for shipment" and could be delivered as soon as Friday afternoon.
Preorder customers are reporting that Apple is packaging up for the first wave of shipments of the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, in every configuration, and are gearing up for a second wave as well. Most users who saw credit card charges made on Monday are seeing a status update of "preparing for shipment"
The earliest shipments seem limited to those who ordered machines on the day of, or early the day after, the Oct. 27 "Hello Again" press event. Delivery dates for the first batch of shipments reported to us fall between Nov. 11 and Nov. 17.
Some of the first wave of purchasers are reporting a date range ending as late as Nov. 25, with the second batch looking at delivery from December 5 to 15. Some users with custom configurations focused around the 15-inch MacBook Pro Touch Pad with Radeon Pro 460 GPU have yet to receive an estimated ship date beyond "December" and in some cases "early January."
AppleInsider sources within the retail chain at Apple and elsewhere tell us that they aren't expecting "boosted" configurations of the MacBook Pro 13- and 15-inch with Touch Bar (including higher-end GPUs) in store at launch.
Most Apple stores have demonstration units of the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar now, and are expecting a few "baseline" models for customers to purchase on or around Nov. 15, with other retail channels like Best Buy expecting "limited quantities" around Nov. 17.
"Refunds" reported by customers, aren't cancellations
Some users are reporting "refunds" by Apple — but this is not actually the case. As expected, and confirmed by AppleInsider an apparent "refund" is actually an available funds hold expiring prior to charge.
Apple informed us that customers with order numbers will still see the charge finalize, or a new hold placed "within a few days."
The 2016 MacBook Pro family, announced at Apple's "Hello Again" event, is a major redesign of Apple's flagship notebook, and comes in screen sizes of 13 and 15 inches, with core models starting at $1,799. AppleInsider was at the event, and was able to spend some time with all the latest hardware.
To grab the lowest prices on Apple's new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, see AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
23 Comments
I'm glad AI clarified the "Refunds" before it got out of hand here in the comments. I'm sure there are people just looking for anyway to bash Apple and the new MacBook Pro even though its doing very well.
Does anyone know if these are available in Apple Stores to try yet or are the old MacBook Pro's still on the tables?
I don't need a new laptop right now, my next purchase will most likely be an iPad Pro, if Apple releases a new one soon, but damn, I'm liking the new MacBook Pro and I think that the Touch Bar is a great addition to it.
I've always been anti-Surface (all in one) devices, and I'm very glad to see that Apple hasn't moved in that direction, which is a wrong direction, in my opinion. As I have written before, I prefer to eat with a fork and spoon, and not a spork.
I don't want to be touching any screen while using Mac OS X. I have various iPads and iPhones if I feel like getting jiggy with my display.
It would be counterproductive to incorporate a Touch Display into OS X and merge them into a frankenstein like device. I laugh at anybody who suggests otherwise. Just go buy a Surface Pro or whatever, if that's what you want, because Apple isn't going to make your perverse and misguided wishes come true.
Some people are complaining about the price, but get real, anybody who knows Apple and Apple history is not shocked by the price. Apple should keep making great devices, devices that will usually cost more than what the race to the bottom crowd is releasing, and catering to financially disadvantaged people should never be Apple's philosophy, if they wish to continue being the best and releasing the best.
My CC hold is still holding and my order status has updated to Preparing for Shipment. I ordered the low-end 15" configuration upgraded with a 512GB SSD.
I ordered a maxed 15" within minutes of the "Hello Again" event and selected the "pick up at store" option. This past Monday, my credit card got charged and today my order staus changed to "preparing for shipment." I talked to customer service today and they looked up my order and said it should be in next week or early in the following week at latest, beating the scheduled order delivery by about a week.