Updated | M1X MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 launch date predictions appear as Intel-powered 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptops disappear

Update October 12: Apple SVP Marketing, Greg Joswiak, has revealed that there will be an Apple "Unleashed" event taking place on October 18 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

Original story:

There has been a small flurry of excitement caused by a recent social media post by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The journalist noticed that the Intel-powered 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro notebooks were either increasingly showing up as not available in Apple stores or those that were available were also stuck with shipping delays (arguably because of having to be shipped from stores further away in the country). While Gurman has checked Los Angeles and its surrounding area, it appears the same is happening further afield, such as in London. This has sparked the speculation that the disappearance is due to the incoming M1X MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16.

Unsurprisingly, the new MacBook Pro machines that are expected to be powered by the Apple M1X SoC have elicited a lot of anticipation among fans, especially as many believe it’s time the MacBook Pro 16 got a refresh. However, while it’s simple to surmise that the M1X MacBook Pro 14 and M1X MacBook Pro 16 are almost ready for launch because of what’s happening to the Intel variants, there is another less-exciting potential explanation that has been put forward. The lack of 16-inch MacBook Pro models in Apple stores could be down to the oft-reported supply chain problems that all tech companies have been dealing with over the last 18-24 months.

But just to fan the excitement flames once again, rumors are spreading that invitations for Apple’s next event could be sent out soon, with October 18-19 being hot favorites for dates. As the actual launch event would take place a week later, we could be seeing the M1X MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 on October 25 or 26. While the current MacBook Pro 16 is fitted with either an Intel Core i7-9750H or i9-9880H, the 2021 MacBook Pro notebooks should come with the new Apple M1X processor that is believed to sport a 10-core CPU part (8x performance and 2x efficiency cores) and a 16-core or 32-core GPU component, with the 32-core GPU M1X allegedly reserved for the 16-inch model only.

Buy the M1 Apple MacBook Pro 13 on Amazon