MacBook Pro models are now taking up to 2 months to ship — and the RAM crisis could be causing it

Apple is gearing up to reveal game-changing products in 2026, with the first on the line expected to be a follow-up to its MacBook Pro M5, this time with an M5 Pro and M5 Max refresh. Now, there's a sign that a launch could be imminent — or a cause for concern.

Several MacBook Pro models are now seeing massive delivery delays of up to two months on Apple's website, particularly on configurations with M4 Max. While both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 Pro laptops have usual estimated delivery times of just a few days, the M4 Max models appear to be pushed back even further.

For many M4 Max-eqipped MacBook Pro configurations, including both the 14- and 16-inch models, the delivery dates now range between February 6 and February 24 (as of today). These come with up 36GB or 48GB of RAM. However, as pointed out by MacRumors, a high-end MacBook Pro M4 Max with the highest 128GB of memory is estimated to be delivered between March 10 and March 17.

That's a long wait time for a product that's been on shelves since 2024, but there could be a couple of reasons for this.

Rumors of Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models have been swirling, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claiming an early 2026 launch. It's been hinted that it could be revealed this January, seeing as the M2 Pro/Max MacBook configurations also debuted in this timeframe. However, there's a possibility they could arrive in time for the expected M5 MacBook Air in spring 2026.

With this in mind, Apple may be preparing stock for its upcoming MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max variants, leading to an announcement that could happen soon. On the other hand, the ongoing RAM crisis could be to blame.

Is the RAM crisis the culprit?

For example, when changing the amount of memory on the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Max with a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU to 48GB of RAM, the estimated delivery date changes to as early as February 3. However, putting this up to 128GB shifts the date to March 10 at the earliest — over a full month.

Memory is in short supply, with RAM manufacturer Micron even stating, "there's just not enough supply to go around," and the shortage could last until 2028. We've heard that MacBook and iPhone prices could rise in 2026 due to the RAM crisis, and the late delivery of some MacBook Pro models may be a sign of Apple's struggles with supply.

Of course, this isn't a certainty, and at the very least, Intel claims there's "about 9 to 12 months" of laptop stock before we expect to see prices rise. Hopefully, we'll see refreshed MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max models soon, and fingers crossed the memory shortage won't cause issues with the rumored low-cost MacBook or MacBook Pro M6 OLED tipped to arrive this year.

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