2013 Mac Pro Shipping Estimates Pushed to February 2014

Mac Fans who crave power, today is the day! Apple’s highest-end and redesigned Mac Pro went up for order on Thursday.  However, if you didn’t jump on it immediately, you may get it way later than you may have thought.

Mere hours after Apple began accepting orders for the machine, shipping estimates “by December 30” for stock models, have slid immensely, with new orders expected to arrive by February.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, told Apple fans that the company would grant a well-deserved update to the Mac Pro in 2013 and has boasted the fact that it will be built in the U.S, rather than in China where the majority of other Apple products are manufactured. Cook also tweeted yesterday: “We have begun manufacturing the Mac Pro in Austin. It’s the most powerful Mac ever. Orders start tomorrow,” with a picture of a Pro during its manufacturing process. To be frank, Apple has had trouble meeting demand for its gadgets in the past, namely the 2012 iMacs, iPhone 5c, and iPad mini with Retina Display. Concerning the iMac scarcity, Tim Cook admitted he would’ve pushed back the debut of the iMac into 2013 because “we felt out customers had to wait too long for that specific product.”

An Apple spokesman also told the press, “Demand for the all new Mac Pro is great and it will take time before supply catches up with demand.” 9to5Mac also unleashed some accurate thoughts on the scenario: “It would appear that there must have been ramping up production in Texas. Why else would Tim Cook expose himself to the type of situation he just 1 year said earlier he wished he could avoid? The only rationale is that Mac Pro production was delayed beyond Apple’s wildest estimates. When faced with the prospect of missing the deadline on the very first U.S-assembled Apple product in a decade versus making customers wait in very long queues, it would appear he opted for making the deadline.” In addition, there have been reports indicating that Intel’s chips are in short supply and may be causing this delay. But, honestly, Apple moving to the U.S. for production is likely the main source of this delay.

Apple doesn’t give us sales numbers for the Mac Pro, but it’s probably a small number when compared to the other “mainstream” Mac computers. I say, “mainstream” because the Mac Pro isn’t your normal, everyday desktop. It is manufactured to appeal to power users who perform graphics-centric tasks, such as professional video editing. And yes, before someone else says it, “The darn thing looks like a trash can!”