MacBook Pro with M4 Max: Long delivery times as a sign of new devices?
Some MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max are currently difficult to obtain. In the German Apple Store, delivery is sometimes delayed until March.
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Anyone currently interested in a configured MacBook Pro with M4 Pro or M4 Max may have to be patient. As our research shows, some models in the German Apple Online Store will not be available until early March. This includes the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip and 36 GB of RAM. US tech blogs also report delays; according to them, higher-equipped variants with more RAM are particularly affected.
The long delivery times could indicate high demand for the powerful chips. However, analysts suspect that Apple may already be switching production to upcoming models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max. The base MacBook Pro with M5 chip has been available since October 2025, but the Pro and Max variants of the newer chip are still pending. And for some time now, there has been speculation about a release at the end of January.
Creator Studio could be a hint at a new MacBook Pro
Rumors of an imminent release of MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max are fueled by Apple's announcement of the Creator Studio. The new subscription package for professional users launches on January 28, 2026, and includes Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and optimized templates for the iWork programs. Historically, Apple has introduced new hardware in January or February multiple times – for example, the MacBook Pro with M2 in January 2023 or the Apple Vision Pro (market launch in the US in February 2024).
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The M5 chip generation promises significant improvements in AI performance through new GPU cores with integrated Neural Accelerator. The CPU is also said to work more efficiently. While the base MacBook Pro with M5 already supports up to 32 GB of unified memory and the control of two external displays, the Pro and Max variants are likely to offer even higher core counts and improved performance for computationally intensive tasks.
Those who want to rely on the latest technology should perhaps wait a few more weeks before buying. The Mac & i podcast offers a comprehensive outlook on Apple's possible product plans for 2026.
(mki)
