The launch date for the Mac Studio is March 18, but preorders placed today won’t arrive until well after that. The wait for the version with the M1 Ultra processor is six weeks or more.
Just because the new desktop is already backordered doesn’t automatically mean there’s huge demand. But it’s not a bad sign, either.
Order a Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, wait until April
Apple began taking preorders for the Mac Studio immediately after the mid-range desktop was announced at Tuesday’s “Peek Performance” event. Units ordered at that time are scheduled to arrive Friday, March 18.
A day later, the wait is longer. In many cases, stretching into April.
There are a wide variety of configurations available, but the primary decision buyers must make is between the M1 Max and new M1 Ultra processors.
A base model Mac Studio with the M1 Ultra placed March 9 on the U.S. Apple Store will arrive between April 21 and April 28.
For a quicker delivery, ask Apple to upgrade the standard 48-core GPU to the 64-core version — the delivery window moves up to between April 7 and April 14. But the $3,999 base price goes up by $1,000.
On the other hand, upgrade the RAM to 128 GB and the wait expands to “10 – 12 weeks,” according to the Apple Store. That’s May, for those keeping score.
Wait for Mac Studio with M1 Max also into April
The wait for the less tricked-out version of the Mac desktop isn’t quite as long. An order for base model Mac Studio with the M1 Max processor placed March 9 on the U.S. Apple Store will arrive between March 31 and April 7.
But reconfigure this $1,999 version in any way and the delivery window slips back to between April 7 and April 14.
Component shortages may be in play here
As noted, a product quickly backordered after it is announced isn’t an automatic sign that it’s hugely popular. We don’t know know how how much inventory Apple had ready on launch day.
The global chip shortage has lowered Apple’s ability to manufacture some of products, especially iPad. It’s possible Cupertino wasn‘t able to make as many Mac Studio units as it wanted, resulting in the current shortage.
Or Apple could be simply selling a whole lot of Mac Studio units.
