MacBook Pro delays

Despite the MacBook Pro shipment announcement this morning, Apple has begun notifying customers that some early orders for the new Intel-based MacBook Pro will be delayed. Although it announced that it would begin shipping its high-end MacBook processor later this week and that it should ship the low-end MacBook Pro, it appears that only limited numbers of units are available. With the announcement, Apple also said that both models would also include faster-than expected Intel Core Duo processors. In an email to customers who placed early pre-orders at the Apple Store, Apple said that reception the new laptop has been "tremendous" and that it is "working hard to ship as many units as fast as possible." However, customers orders--even some of the early orders placed on the first day--are being delayed by up to 10 days.

"Better still, prior to shipment we've improved the entire MacBook Pro family with configurations starting at 1.83GHz up to 2.16GHz. We have upgraded your MacBook Pro from a 1.83GHz processor to a 2.0GHz processor at no additional cost! We anticipate shipping your upgraded order by February 23, 2006," Apple wrote in an email to one customer who placed his order on the announcement day and was told--as late as yesterday--that the laptop would ship on February 15.

In the notification email, Apple said that customers would not see the status change at the Apple Store for the ship date until February 15; it also offered the customers the option to upgrade the processor to the new 2.16GHz BTO option, but said it may delay the order even further.

by MacNN Staff