UK Retailer John Lewis Lists iPad Pro and iMac Launch Date as May 21

Last week Apple announced new iPad Pro models with the faster M1 processor and a new mini-LED 12.9-inch display, as well as redesigned 24-inch iMac models. Both iPad models and iMacs will be available to pre-order from the April 30, and while Apple said they'll be shipping in the second half of May, it hasn't provided a specific date.

john lewis ipad pro launch date
Today, however, U.K. retailer and long-time Apple stockist John Lewis has updated its online store to indicate that the new iMacs and both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models of iPad Pro will be "available" from Friday, May 21. The reveal is notable, given that Apple usually launches new products in the U.K. on the same day as it does in the United States.

Assuming the date refers to launch rather than when pre-orders start, the date lines up with a prediction from leaker Jon Prosser, who on Monday suggested May 21 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Prosser also said the 11-inch iPad Pro could ship the day after on May 22, but that suggestion immediately came under suspicion because it's a Saturday, and Apple typically refrains from product launches during the weekend.

imac john lewis 2021
Reports have suggested that Apple has faced from considerable supply restraints due to the ongoing chip shortage, and the delay between the announcement and shipments of the new devices would seem to back up those reports. Indeed, during Apple's earnings briefing on Wednesday, CEO Tim Cook said that there would be supply issues affecting the iPad and Mac lines.

(Thanks, Jack!)

Update: Moments after this story was published, Prosser tweeted that "the '22nd' date I mentioned [for the iPad Pro launch] is linked to the 5G model for a certain carrier and should be disregarded for the most part."

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...

Top Rated Comments

UltimateSyn Avatar
54 months ago

...provided you can preorder one fast enough.
They called me Johnny Quick Hands in high school, I’m ready!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HerbertDerb Avatar
54 months ago
TOsser is always correct. /s
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
qoop Avatar
54 months ago

This seems really far out :(

Almost a month away.
Do you shop a lot at John Lewis?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JulianL Avatar
54 months ago
<Deleted bit about Apple UK pre-order times. Already asked in another post>

Has anyone done an Apple first-day pre-order from the John Lewis site before? Does JL open its web pre-orders at exactly the same time that Apple does and does it give immediate feedback on when the order is expected to be delivered so that you can see if stuff is selling out and delivery dates slipping or does the JL online ordering simply look at the stock Apple has committed to deliver on the release day and once that has gone it simply shows some sort of non-committal message about when the order is likely to be fulfilled? (I realise no one knows for sure about how ordering will behave for the upcoming iPad release but presumably previous iPhone and iPad launches have given people a fairly good basis to predict how first-few-hours pre-ordering is likely to work on the JL site.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JippaLippa Avatar
54 months ago
...provided you can preorder one fast enough.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
54 months ago
This seems really far out :(

Almost a month away.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)