First MacBook Pro preorders shipping soon, as Apple works to meet demand

The new MacBook Pro models saw shipping dates slip back within minutes of preorders starting. Now those buyers who were able to get in first are being notified that their MacBook Pro is being readied for shipping.

Buyers who missed that first order delivery date are now, however, seeing shipping times that are becoming steadier. Instead of slipping back further, as has happened with the Apple Watch Series 7, MacBook Pro orders appear to be more predictable.

A completely base specification 14-inch MacBook Pro, ordered at time of writing, will now be delivered from November 15 through November 22. Make any change whatsoever, and delivery slips immediately to December 1 through December 8.

Unsurprisingly, that includes any customization changes such as increasing RAM, or storage space. It also applies to switching to any M1 Max configuration, or any M1 Pro one bar the entry level.

It also, more surprisingly, applies if users choose all the base options but then decide to get the 96W USB-C power adaptor instead of the standard 67W one.

And the date gets pushed back to this December 1 through December 8 range if a user takes the base option, ignores the power adaptor, but does select to have Final Cut Pro, or Logic Pro, pre-installed.

Similarly, the entire 16-inch MacBook Pro range appears to have settled into a steady pattern. If ordered at time of writing, the base model with 512GB M1 Pro 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU and 16GB memory, would be delivered from November 22 through November 30.

There is a curious discrepancy in Apple's online ordering. Its opening 16-inch MacBook Pro summary page at times fails to list any estimated or pickup delivery dates for some of the options.

Plus, choosing the base model and then electing to upgrade it through Build to Order, can get a different result to choosing to start with the next option.

For instance, and again at time of writing, clicking Select to order a $2,499 16-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD, gets a delivery date of November 22 through November 30. Then increasing the SSD to 1TB pushes the date out to December 1 through December 8.

However, instead selecting the $2,699 model, which comes with 1TB as standard, the delivery date is again November 22 through November 30.

Otherwise, ordering seems to be more consistent than during the first days of preorders. Any base 16-inch MacBook Pro is going to be delivered in that last week of November, and any change — including adding Final Cut Pro — delays it all to between December 1 through December 8.

It's not yet clear what volume will be available at retail — or for that matter, which configurations — when the machines are fully available.