Many of Apple’s authorized resellers have been reporting that the current-model 15″ MacBook is out of stock or unavailable to order this week, quoting supply issues due to a presumed imminent product refresh.
Retailers that include Best Buy and MacConnection are out of stock of both the 2.2GHz and 2.4Ghz models.
Apple often cuts back on stock availability immediately prior to releasing a MacBook update, and has been a reliable indicator of an impending new product in the past.
The new redesigned MacBook Pro’s are reportedly already in production ahead of an anticipated summer launch. The new MacBook Pro is noted to feature a slimmer form factor that more closelyresembles the current MacBook Air range, and like the Air, the updated Pro’s will not have an optical drive.
The 2012 MacBook range is expected to feature Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processors, which have been shown to offer significant performance and graphics improvements over the current Sandy Bridge chips.
A report from DigiTimes this week has suggested that Intel will be revealing their new Ivy Bridge processors earlier than expected, with rumors pointing to April 23rd as the likely date.