Many Built-to-Order iMac, iMac Pro, and MacBook Pro Models Currently Facing Extended Delivery Estimates

Built-to-order iMac, iMac Pro, and MacBook Pro models, excluding the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, are currently facing an extended delivery estimate of March 10 on Apple’s online store in the United States.
While custom configurations usually take more time to ship than standard configurations, current delivery estimates are even lengthier than usual. The reason for the delay is unknown, but on a speculative basis, it could be related to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China that has forced many of Apple’s suppliers to temporarily close their factories and suspend production.

While some readers who tipped us to this news raised the possibility of an Apple event on March 10, the delivery estimate has changed on a daily basis, so any correlation would be purely coincidental. Nevertheless, Apple is expected to release a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor switch Magic Keyboard in the first half of 2020, and it is certainly possible that the notebook could be released in March.

In fact, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to release many new products in the first half of 2020, including refreshed MacBook Pro and/or MacBook Air models, refreshed iPad Pro models with a triple-lens rear camera system, Tile-like item tracking tags with Ultra Wideband support, high-end wireless headphones, a small wireless charging mat, and a new lower-cost 4.7-inch iPhone.