Apple today announced it will be holding a virtual event on Monday, October 18 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and rumors widely suggest that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will be unveiled with a faster version of the M1 chip.
After the event was announced, a few readers asked us when to expect orders to begin for the new MacBook Pro models, should they be announced.
While nothing is for certain until Apple says so, almost all new Macs announced at an Apple Event over the last five years were made available to order on the same day of the event. The only exception was the 24-inch iMac earlier this year.
We left the iMac Pro and the latest Mac Pro out of the list because these machines were previewed during WWDC keynotes many months before they were ready to launch.
- 2016: The first MacBook Pro models with the Touch Bar were announced at an Apple Event on Thursday, October 27, 2016 and became available to order on the same day. Shipments began in 2-3 weeks, with customers beginning to receive their orders around Monday, November 14.
- 2017: New MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac models were announced at WWDC on Monday, June 5, 2017. All of the new Macs became available to order on the same day and began arriving to customers on Wednesday, June 7.
- 2018: New MacBook Air and Mac mini models were announced at an Apple Event on Tuesday, October 30, 2018. Both new Macs became available to order on the same day and began arriving to customers on Wednesday, November 7.
- 2020: The first Macs with the M1 chip, including the MacBook Air, lower-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, and lower-end Mac mini, were announced at an Apple Event on Tuesday, November 10, 2020. All of the new Macs became available to order on the same day and began arriving to customers on Tuesday, November 17.
- 2021: The colorful new 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip was announced at an Apple Event on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 and became available to order on Friday, April 30. The new iMac began arriving to customers on Friday, May 21.
New Macs announced with a press release on Apple Newsroom also typically become available to order on the same day of the announcement, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and the latest 27-inch iMac in August 2020.
While the 24-inch iMac broke the trend of same-day ordering for new Macs, likely due to pandemic-related supply chain issues, it remains to be seen if the new MacBook Pro models will follow suit with delayed ordering. At a minimum, customers interested in an M1X MacBook Pro likely won't have to set a Friday morning alarm like for iPhones.
