Mac power users waiting for a new high-end MacBook Pro model may have been disappointed last time, when Apple released an M5 upgrade for the low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro without touching the M4 Pro or Max versions of the laptop. But the wait for M5 Pro and M5 Max models is probably about to end.
MacRumors’ tea-leaf readers noticed that shipping times for a handful of high-end MacBook Pro configurations have slipped to mid-to-late February instead of being immediately available like most Mac models. This is often, though not always, a sign that Apple has slowed or stopped production of an existing product in anticipation of an update.
Currently, shipping delays affect the M4 Max versions of both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. If you order these today, these models will arrive sometime between February 3rd and February 24th, depending on the configuration you choose; Many M4 Pro variants are still available for same-day shipping, although adding a nano-texture display or upgrading RAM can add a week or more to shipping time.
Apple may choose to launch new Pro hardware on January 28 alongside the new Creator Studio subscriptions announced last week. Aimed primarily at independent content creators who create their own video, audio, and images, the Creator Studio subscription bundles Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and enhancements for the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps (along with a few other odds and ends) for $13 per month or $130 per year. None of these apps require a MacBook Pro, but many will benefit in some way from the extra CPU and GPU power, RAM, and storage available in Apple’s high-end laptops.
Of course, an impending replacement isn’t the only reason shipping estimates for any Mac might be lower. The ongoing, AI-fueled RAM shortage could create problems, and Apple will likely prioritize production of the widely used base-model M4 and M5 chips for the larger, more expensive, 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 is not currently subject to the same shipping delays. This means the delay is specific to the MacBook Pro – and one explanation for this is that the laptop is about to be replaced.
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