Best Buy Guesses at a March MacBook Pro Release Date as Supplies Constrain

Late last month, we reported that we had received word of tightening MacBook Pro supplies, suggesting that an update to Apple's popular notebook line might be coming in the near future.

Information has continued to flow in regarding tightening supplies, with Japanese blog Mac Otakara reporting today that supplies in Japan are now pushing out to 2-3 week shipping estimates. The site also reports that the following Sandy Bridge configurations are likely for update MacBook Pros:

Core i7-2620M(2.70GHz)
Core i5-2540M(2.60GHz)
Core i5-2520M(2.50GHz)
Core i5-2410M(2.30GHz)
Core i3-2310M(2.10GHz)

154036 best buy notebook 3 11 11 500

Also getting attention today is a Best Buy inventory screen pointing to a March 11th in-stock date for what may be a revised version of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. We received word of the same database entry about ten days ago, but have little faith in its accuracy, as the company did the exact same thing in early 2010, guessing at a March 14th date for new models. The update didn't actually occur until a month after the proposed date.

155139 releasesa2
Best Buy's predicted date from 2010

The other wildcard in the MacBook Pro update situation is Intel's "design error" that has forced the company to fix its manufacturing process for one of the chips in the chipset being used the Sandy Bridge processors presumably destined for the next-generation MacBook Pros and iMacs. A delay in availability of Sandy Bridge chipsets could easily push back MacBook Pro updates from Apple's original target date and result in an extended period of tight supplies of the current models.

Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma hero

macOS Sonoma Launching This Week With These New Features

Sunday September 24, 2023 12:45 pm PDT by
Apple previously announced that macOS Sonoma will be released this Tuesday, September 26. The free software update includes many new features and changes for the Mac, including the five that we have highlighted below. In addition to these five features, we have shared the full release notes for macOS Sonoma below for a complete overview of everything new. Desktop Widgets macOS Sonoma...
iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 to Include an Additional Capacitive 'Capture' Button

Monday September 25, 2023 12:50 pm PDT by
The iPhone 16 series is expected to gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the "Capture Button." Codenamed "Project Nova," the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the iPhone 16 lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. The Capture Button is located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower - where the mmWave cutout...
ipad mini blue

Apple to Launch iPad Mini 7 Later This Year, Industry Report Suggests

Monday September 25, 2023 3:16 am PDT by
Apple could be preparing to release a seventh-generation iPad mini before the end of the year, based on a new report by DigiTimes. In an article discussing stagnating global tablet demand in the second half of 2023, the Taiwan-based outlet forecasts an uptick in Apple's share of the market owing to orders for a "small-size" iPad in the fourth quarter. From the report (see bold): In the...