Apple struggles to meet demand for the MacBook Air M2. Pre-orders of the long-awaited MacBook Air M2 began on Friday 8 July with availability starting Friday 15 July (our impressions here): almost a month after the start of marketing, Apple is still struggling to keep up with the high demand. At the time of writing, the two standard configurations proposed are indicated on the Apple Store online with withdrawal from August 30th, while delivery takes place from August 23rd to 30th.
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If you change the processor, RAM, SSD or power supply, it will be postponed to September 5th for collection in the store, or from August 29th to September 5th with shipping. Waiting times are improving but two, three weeks of waiting is still a long time for a company that traditionally ships its products within 24-48 hours.
In the past, long waiting times for new products have always been interpreted as a sign of high demand and sales. This year, however, the scarcity of chips and the problems due to closures due to pandemics must also be taken into account, as well as the blockages of energy supplies for various suppliers in China in recent months, with consequent delays.
Also for these reasons, some Apple products require unusually long waiting times, even months after presentation and marketing start. Among these is undoubtedly iMac M1: the models offered as standard on the online Apple Store arrive in a few days, ordering today for delivery is August 16. But if the user changes even a single preference for RAM, SSD, Ethernet, mouse and keyboard, there is a risk of slipping until 7 or 12 September.
Another case: Mac Studio base arrives between 23 and 30 August, instead the model proposed on the Apple Store online in a superior configuration is even indicated for delivery between 4 and 18 October. For the basic model, the timing also shift significantly if the user changes the configuration: you can jump from September 30th to October 10th by changing processor, but those who choose some more powerful versions of M1 Ultra risk waiting until November 18th with times between 10-12 weeks.
The superior model, already indicated for October, can slip until November 18 by modifying processor or unified memory. In the latest presentation of quarterly results, Tim Cook warned that it is impossible to gauge or estimate the actual demand for the latest Apple computers due to production and supply problems. The bulk of the manufacturing problems in China now seem to have been overcome: Tim Cook and Apple executives will be able to be more specific on Mac demand and sales in the next presentation of the results in October.
