Apple MacBook Pro laptop shipments delayed as China’s lockdowns slow production

Apple Inc. shoppers are facing longer wait times for the company’s flagship MacBook Pro laptops, a sign that Covid-19 lockdowns in China may be contributing to delays.

U.S. consumers trying to order Apple’s latest high-end models are now seeing delivery estimates pushed into June. And the date range for the lower-end configuration of the 14-inch MacBook Pro was as late as May 26 as of Wednesday. Those wait times represent a jump from recent days, before supply chain snags worsened again.

The delays underscore Apple’s struggles to keep its supply chain running smoothly during the Covid era -- especially as China pursues a zero-tolerance policy for outbreaks. More than 30 Taiwanese companies, including Apple laptop manufacturer Quanta Computer Inc., have halted production in China because of lockdowns. In Quanta’s case, the company shut a Shanghai plant to comply with government restrictions.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple’s highest-end MacBook Pro configuration -- a $3,499 version with additional graphics cores and memory -- is seeing delivery estimates as late as June 16 in the U.S. Most of Apple’s other Macs, including the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini, aren’t currently affected. Those models are either shipping with same-day delivery or promising an arrival within a few days.

Delivery estimates for the Mac Pro, which often takes longer to ship because of its customized features, are in May. And the new Mac Studio desktop computer’s higher-end configuration isn’t arriving until the second half of June. That machine was only announced recently, however, and may be seeing strong initial demand.

On Tuesday, Apple supplier Pegatron Corp. suspended work at its iPhone assembly campuses in Shanghai and Kunshan, but iPhone shipments don’t immediately appear to be delayed. Apple will announce its second-quarter earnings results on April 28, potentially giving investors a window into its supply challenges.