Apple quotes 4-6 weeks on MacBook Pro replacements as production likely winds down

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Ahead of an anticipated refresh of Apple's MacBook Pro lineup, the company has told some customers who need replacement machines they may need to wait four to six weeks for new hardware due to limited supply.



AppleInsider has received word that some customers who have purchased special build-to-order machines online are experiencing very long wait times for replacement hardware. Those who have a faulty custom-configured notebook are apparently being warned that replacement machines could take as long as eight weeks to arrive.



Representatives for Apple are said to be informing those customers that the average lead time for a replacement machine is between four and six weeks. One person said a company representative apologized and asked if the customer wished to be refunded.



Customers with faulty build-to-order MacBook Pros have also been given the option to make a purchase from a retail store, or buy a standard-configuration machine, of which Apple still has inventory available. One customer said that even solid state drive-based machines had a similar lead time to their traditional hard disk drive-equipped counterparts.



Apple's line of MacBook Pro notebooks are due for an update. The most recent major upgrade arrived last April, when the high-end notebooks were equipped with what was then Intel's latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Those chips have since been replaced by Intel's latest processors, code-named Sandy Bridge.



After Intel recently announced a design error in the chipset for its new Sandy Bridge Core processors, there became concern that the anticipated MacBook Pro refresh could be delayed. But this week Intel revealed that it has resumed shipping of processors intended for computer configurations not impacted by the design flaw.







In addition, the chipmaker said it will begin shipping a new, fixed version of its support chip, known as Cougar Point, in mid-February. Those chipsets will reportedly address a flaw that could cause degraded performance over time on some, but not all, serial-ATA ports for hard drives and DVD drives.



Intel also said that it will meet its deadline to begin shipping dual-core Sandy Bridge chips on the previously-announced launch date of Feb. 20. The Core i5 and Core i7 microprocessors, intended for notebooks like Apple's line of MacBook Pro systems, draw between 17 watts and 35 watts of power, and run at speeds between 1.4GHz and 2.7GHz.



It is rumored that Nvidia's graphics processors will not be included in at least some MacBook models 13 inches and under, as those low-end notebooks will rely only on Sandy Bridge integrated graphics from Intel. Apple's larger, high-end MacBook Pros, with screen sizes of 15 and 17 inches, will allegedly rely on graphics processors from AMD.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 44
    29922992 Posts: 202member
    ok, good, let's see the new MBP!
  • Reply 2 of 44
    My homepage is: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#MacBook_Pro



    I want to upgrade so much. I've got a 3.06 GHz 15" Core 2 Duo. I'm around 19 months.
  • Reply 3 of 44
    eauviveeauvive Posts: 237member
    Except if Intel did a special run for Apple, did I get it right that new Intel integrated graphics lack openCL capability?
  • Reply 4 of 44
    I've got a 3-year-old pre-unibody 2.2GHz 15" MBP. Still an awesome machine, and I still like the curved silver keys better than the 'chiclets'. Other companies still like to use that sexy machine in their ads when they need a computer for a prop.



    But I'm hoping for something lighter with longer battery life. Been waiting to see what the spec's are on a new Macbook Pro before deciding to go with that or the top-of-the-line Macbook Air.
  • Reply 5 of 44
    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!
  • Reply 6 of 44
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by EauVive View Post


    Except if Intel did a special run for Apple, did I get it right that new Intel integrated graphics lack openCL capability?



    The Sandy Bridge integrated graphics are supposedly OpenCL compatible.



    At least according to CNET.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!



    I like that idea.
  • Reply 7 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!



    I hope all models ditch the optical drive and upgrade the battery size. If so they should some external drives to those that really feel they need them, everyone else will hardly notice.



    Also to further distinguish themselves from the air they should add more/upgraded ports
  • Reply 8 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!



    I would like to see that as a no-dvd drive option for the 15' range too. I would gladly change to an external drive as I'm using DVDs less and less (maybe once a month, down from 12 times a month). I think the battery life is already pretty good but if it means we can run faster CPUs, or run cooler (mine gets very warm) or have an SSD and a big HD then I'd be happy.



    R
  • Reply 9 of 44
    mfagomfago Posts: 24member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!



    I'm with you, but I expect Apple calls that the 13" Mac Book Air (minus the discrete graphics).



    Still hoping for an "Air like" 15" MBP.
  • Reply 10 of 44
    How about SSD as the default option together with USB3.0?
  • Reply 11 of 44
    I don't think Apple is ready to ditch the optical drive just yet. Although, it would be fine by me!



    I don't see them giving people an option to forego the optical drive to have a larger battery in the MBP line, either.



    Perhaps, they will introduce a 15" MBA and then see how the 15" MBP sales are affected. It would be interesting to see a comparison of the current MBA's sales numbers compared to the 13" MacBook and 13" MBP. I don't see Apple sharing these numbers until they introduce a 15" MBA or drop the plastic MB.



    It would be a hard comparison to make, but certainly there should be a trend. I bet Apple already sees the trend and is acting accordingly! It's going to be a very interesting few months!



    Best
  • Reply 12 of 44
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rcha101 View Post


    I would like to see that as a no-dvd drive option for the 15' range too. I would gladly change to an external drive as I'm using DVDs less and less (maybe once a month, down from 12 times a month). I think the battery life is already pretty good but if it means we can run faster CPUs, or run cooler (mine gets very warm) or have an SSD and a big HD then I'd be happy.

    R



    Yup. Me, too. The external optical drive for the Air is tiny and cheap. The MBP's will loose some weight, and gain some battery life. Like SJ said - one day all laptops will be built like the Air. This will be one step in that direction.
  • Reply 13 of 44
    Will the new MBP retain the aluminium unibody?
  • Reply 14 of 44
    I don't think this is going to be a major redesign of the MBP line. But I could be wrong! It would be fun if I was!



  • Reply 15 of 44
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The 13" should ditch the optical drive and stick in a larger battery and discrete graphics. Problem solved!



    I'm glad you're not running Apple. If you ever are put in charge, let me know so I can sell my stock.
  • Reply 16 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    I'm glad you're not running Apple. If you ever are put in charge, let me know so I can sell my stock.



    You better be on the ready to sell your stock because despite your desire for technology to stagnant the removal of the optical drive will happen.
  • Reply 17 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Squarepants View Post


    Will the new MBP retain the aluminium unibody?



    99.9% yes
  • Reply 18 of 44
    It will be interesting to see how much SSDs have come down in price. At the moment the 13" MBA is priced above the MBP and if the cost of these drives has come down sufficiently we could see some interesting pricing and specs for the up coming 13" MBP.
  • Reply 19 of 44
    rbonnerrbonner Posts: 635member
    This is the one I have been waiting for, hopefully.



    Deal breakers for me:



    Fast graphics - already have issues with the 27" monitor and HD movies

    Lighted keys

    Would really like to be able to play Starcraft, would ditch my PC finally





    Nice to haves:



    Now that I have the 27" monitor, the monitor on the 15" seems low res, ready to move to the high res option.

    No CD drive, good with external

    Just a bit lighter

    Enough battery to last a 6 hour flight
  • Reply 20 of 44
    isaidsoisaidso Posts: 750member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    I'm glad you're not running Apple. If you ever are put in charge, let me know so I can sell my stock.



    You ought to sell now, because this is coming sooner rather than later in any case.
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