You can't buy an Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro right now and you shouldn't anyway

16-inch MacBook Pro (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

Anyone wanting to buy a current Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro is out of luck, stocks are dwindling.
Apple is heavily rumored to have a new round of MacBook Pros ready for an imminent announcement.

Anyone wanting to get their hands on an Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro is going to find that very difficult indeed, with stocks running dry across the United States. This comes as the company is heavily rumored to have new M1X-powered 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro machines waiting in the wings.

The current Intel 16-inch MacBook Pro has been around for a few years now and is very much due for a refresh. However, there has been little sign of that in terms of Intel, with Apple instead keen to move its machines over to its own M-series chips. Rumors have that ready to happen any day now and this new shortage further fuels that fire.

Macbook Pro With M1 Chip (Image credit: iMore)

Checking stocks for the current model across Apple Stores right now shows that the machines are no longer available for in-store collection. Ordering for delivery sees delivery windows of up to seven business days.

The refreshed 16-inch MacBook Pro, along with its smaller 14-inch version, is expected to bring a new mini-LED display to the lineup. That, coupled with the powerful M1X chip — likely based on the A15 chip inside iPhone 13 Pro — should make this the best Mac yet for people who need a portable powerhouse. The loss of the Touch Bar isn't likely to cause too many sleepless nights, either.

Now, we wait. Apple is expected to hold some sort of online event sooner rather than later — unless all of the rumors are wrong again!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.