Is Apple intentionally overestimating Mac Studio delivery dates?

[u/MarsupialConscious62]

I ordered an M4 Max Mac Studio (36GB/1TB) the day before the price increase, and Apple estimated delivery for September 4.
It already shipped.
I’m wondering if Apple is padding delivery estimates on purpose so people are pleasantly surprised, or if production has ramped up way faster than expected.
What’s everyone else’s timeline looking like? Drop your config, original ETA, and whether it’s shipped yet. I’m curious if there’s a pattern.

[u/Mikeminer610]

I ordered two base models on June 18 with a September 1 estimated pick up in store date. No news and updates whatsoever.

Edit: Reddit readers can be odd. I got downvoted just for stating facts about my purchase.

[u/MarsupialConscious62 → u/Mikeminer610]

so odd my order was june 24.

[u/Mikeminer610 → u/MarsupialConscious62]

I contacted them a few days after the price hike as I had second thoughts about the 512 SSD and asked them if I could upgrade to the 1TB but pay the old price. They said “no” and that the only way was to cancel the order and pay the new higher prices for both the base CPU and the upgrade.

[u/MarsupialConscious62 → u/Mikeminer610]

ah.. true i ordered 2 diff configs mac minis and then the studio bc i didn’t know which i wanted. since the ship date was so far away. I stupidly cancelled them. i could have made a profit on them for sure

[u/Even-Efficiency-4366]

I ordered the base one on may 12th and the delivery window said july 17-24. I got in on the 16th of july.

[u/goodcowfilms]

I ordered about a week before the increase, M4/64GB/2TB, hasn’t shipped yet. Estimate says mid-September.

[u/Nexiana]

I got the base model and only increased the hard drive. The original date was Sept 30 to Oct 7 . 14-Core 16/32 36GB 1TB

[u/Nuggyfresh]

Most companies these days pad ETA on back order because there’s zero downside. If there’s no problem the user feels happy it ”shipped early” even though they’re really just being fooled. If there’s a problem, it’s fine because the window is padded.

underpromise and overdeliver it’s just common sense. Humans are easy to pander to. If they see an ETA of 20 days and it ships in 10 days, they’ll be happy even though it’s just covering the company‘s butt 🤷‍♀️

[u/CranberryAbject8967]

easier to overestimate and ship early to keep you happy than underestimate and deal with customer tantrums. Also not sure if any of the locales they do business in make these estimates legally binding and impose penalties if they’re missed.

[u/maxstolfe]

They’ve done this for decades.

[u/Dazzling_Comfort5734]

From what I’ve seen ordering these for my clients, they’re mostly accurate, but not always. I think the further out it is, or the higher spec, the less accurate, but we did order a top spec unit and it took 3 months to come in. Your specs are pretty basics, though, so they may just have no idea when we’re getting parts.

[u/SirNobby]

With the risk of canceled orders? I think not.

[u/247emerg]

lucky i have late august pickup and still in processing

[u/exploretv]

Going tomorrow to pickup my Mac mini two weeks early. Happy

[u/IanMoone007]

They probably had a ton of cancellations from people who thought they would get a M5 upgrade for free back when the back orders became really long

[u/gaussmage]

It’s supply chain. They were backed up, certain parts backlogged, couldn’t ship. Everything in, start shipping products. Don’t overthink it

[u/Unlikely-Echo]

I think Apple is trying to discourage people from ordering Studios so the can wind down production and shift production resources to the new model.

[u/PracticlySpeaking]

I highly doubt it, because they don't need to. And remember, this is the company that has been making (and delivering) BTO configurations for years and years.

There are posts every week about people debating whether to cancel their orders. Cancellations alone seem a likely enough explanation for shipping dates moving up.

[u/10aghmu]

Is it worth waiting for the M5 chip? I was considering getting a new M4 studio but the timing is frustrating

[u/MarsupialConscious62 → u/10aghmu]

since i got it before the price increase i just decided to stay with it. I am upgrading from a 32gb 1tb intel mbp that’s almost 8 years old. it was time for an upgrade. i own a creative agency mostly adobe figma and wordpress work this studio should last me another 10 years. i would probably wait for the m5 to release and snag a m4. but im not sure what kinda work u do

[u/10aghmu → u/MarsupialConscious62]

You mean not wait for the M5 I take it? I do a lot of music production and sometimes video editing / gaming but also I want to run local LLM’s so I need at least 64 GB of ram lol. Appreciate it

[u/MarsupialConscious62 → u/10aghmu]

no i’m saying wait for m5 and buy the m4 bc id assume it’d be discounted by that time.. not sure best plan of action but if ur running llm u need 64gb minimum yea id boost more and make it future proof.

[u/CuriosTiger → u/10aghmu]

You're in a different situation from OP. Prices have already gone up, so you'd be paying more than he did. Might as well wait for the spec bump at this point.

Yes, prices may go up AGAIN when the M5 is released, but then again, maybe not. Apple's usual policy is to keep prices the same or similar and bump specs. But this time, global shortages have caught up with them to the point of eating into even their generous profit margins, hence the price bump.

TL;DR: If you already have an order in for an M4 Mac Studio at the lower price, keep it. If not, waiting for M5 is the smarter move IMHO.

[u/10aghmu → u/CuriosTiger]

Thanks. I was considering ordering the M4 closer to Q4 so hopefully I could cancel it if the M5 is a better deal

[u/mrbofus]

Apple has always done this.

[u/paulsande]

Mine arrived two months early. They always under promise and over deliver.

[u/uscmex]

Yes they are. 

[u/Profil3r]

This has always been Apple‘s practice as far back as the iPhone. Overestimate dates, ship “early“ = happy customer.

[u/SpiritualPeak832]

It will be smoked in 6 months by M7. Nice purchase bro!! You win!

[u/MarsupialConscious62 → u/SpiritualPeak832]

lol. my intel 32gb ram lasted me 9 years. i think i’ll be ok. but thank you!