Overview
- Apple’s online store now lists many M4 Max MacBook Pro configurations for delivery between February 6 and February 24, with some 14‑inch 16‑core/128GB RAM build‑to‑order units showing estimates as late as March 17.
- The timing coincides with Apple’s Creator Studio app bundle arriving on January 28, a date analysts view as a potential press‑release window given Apple’s past January Pro/Max updates.
- Industry watchers note that stretched lead times often precede product refreshes, though current delays are concentrated on high‑RAM M4 Max laptops while other Macs like Mac Studio are not similarly affected.
- RAM availability remains a competing explanation for the lagging ship dates, with memory suppliers warning of prolonged DRAM constraints that could disproportionately impact higher‑memory configurations.
- Performance forecasts for the unannounced M5 Pro and M5 Max point to sizable CPU/GPU gains and possible new packaging enabling more flexible configurations, but Apple has not confirmed specs or a launch date, and a broader Q1 timeframe is still possible.