Stock of 15-inch MacBook Pros shrinking ahead of refresh
updated 11:10 am EDT, Tue April 10, 2012
Some vendors already out of stock
A number of third-party vendors are running out of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, AppleInsider notes. J&R is listing 2.2GHz systems as "out of stock," and 2.4GHz machines are "on order." Best Buy's online storefront has stopped doing home deliveries of 2.4GHz Pros, and while it is continuing to sell them at retail, many outlets in US cities like Austin and Chicago may not have units available. Another reseller, MacConnection, briefly ran out of 2.2GHz Pros earlier this week but now has units again.
Shrinking inventories are a common sign that Apple is winding down production of a given product in advance of an update or replacement. Apple is believed to be on the verge of updating the MacBook Pro to feature Ivy Bridge processors, as well as a thinner design, borrowing cues from the MacBook Air. It may, however, sacrifice an optical drive in the process.
When new Pros might actually ship is unknown. Some reports have had production starting this month, but more recently a launch window has been pegged as late as June. Apple may also be planning to stagger launches, shipping 13- and 17-inch systems after the flagship 15-inch hardware.
