Expect to wait until late August for an iPad Pro shipped from Apple

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2020 iPad Pro builds on the 2018 model.
Order a 2020 iPad Pro today and you won’t be opening the box until almost Labor Day.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple continues to struggle to keep up with demand for the 2020 iPad Pro. Anyone ordering one from Apple.com on Tuesday can expect to wait about a month.

This tablet is in very short supply at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores as well.

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It’s not clear why availability is so limited. The 2020 iPad Pro debuted in March, so it’s not Apple trying to catch up with early demand. And while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted production of iPad and iPhone in China this spring, these problems are supposed to be smoothed out.

But it’s not a new situation. In June, wait times for iPad Pro stretched into July.

No 2020 iPad Pro until almost September

But there’s clearly a shortage of top-tier iPads. Place an order on July 21 for the base model 12.9-inch iPad Pro from the online Apple Store, and the earliest delivery date is August 20. That could stretch as late as Aug. 27, depending on the exact model you choose. The same goes for the 11-inch version.

A few configurations do ship a bit earlier. For example, the 11-inch version with 256GB or 1TB of storage and 4G LTE will arrive between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19. But no configuration arrives sooner than that.

The situation is only slightly better in Apple Stores. Spot checks done by Cult of Mac find that most retail locations have no 2020 iPad Pro units. If they happen to have one in stock, it’s generally a more expensive model with additional storage capacity and 4G LTE.

Of course, the situation is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has many U.S. stores temporarily closed.

Limited availability elsewhere, too

Apple.com isn’t the only online source for the 2020 iPad Pro. But availability is spotty elsewhere too.

Amazon.com says it will have the space gray version of the 12.9-inch base model in stock later this week — and at a $50 discount. Or you can order it in silver now, but with only a $21 discount. There are units available with larger capacities, but there’s a wait for many configurations.

Amazon lists the latest 11-inch iPad Pro base model as “temporarily out of stock.” There are some configurations with additional storage available or coming soon, though.

The situation is similar with Best Buy. It’s completely “sold out” of most 12.9-inch iPad Pros. But it has the 11-inch version base model available in both color options.

Grab an iPad Air instead?

Apple doesn’t seem to be having as severe difficulties keeping other iPad models in stock. Order a base model 2019 iPad Air from Apple.com on July 21 and it’ll be delivered early next week.

But the wait for the budget iPad is a bit longer. Order one from Apple today and the delivery will be between July 29 and August 5.

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