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performa578

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2020
20
25
[sour grapes]
Ordered my M1 MBP on launch date immediately after the store went up -- 8 days later, it's still in Shanghai. Meanwhile, my local Apple store has plenty of stock. I don't understand the logic here -- why not announce and make pre-orders available 2-3 weeks ahead of the store launch?

Yes, I could go buy one in person, then go back again and return my online order when it shows up (whenever that will be). But still -- I feel like I was one of the first people in line to say "Yes please, I'll take one of those!" and now I'm sitting here reading everyone else's unboxing and performance threads and wondering what was the point of ordering on launch day. [/sour grapes]
 
I get what you are saying. If the store has the configuration you want - go buy it and cancel your order with Apple. Apple doesn't charge you until it ships.
 
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Sorry; that's really frustrating. I've had that happen to me.

I think for most people the MacBooks were actually delivered early. I ordered my Air immediately and it showed 25th through 27th, but arrived on the 17th. I think Apple tries to exceed expectations for the majority of orders, but there will always be some late orders due to processing or shipping screwups.
 
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Ordered my M1 MBP on launch date immediately after the store went up -- 8 days later, it's still in Shanghai.
Yeah well, I ordered the MM 16GB/512GB, knew it would take longer but was due to arrive 25th Nov, not much of a wait. Then it said it will be with me this Friday, amazing! Now it says on the UPS tracker there has been a delay and it won't arrive until 12th Dec, Apple still shows as Friday. WTF? And yes, ordered within minutes of the store opening back up after the event.
 
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[sour grapes]
Ordered my M1 MBP on launch date immediately after the store went up -- 8 days later, it's still in Shanghai. Meanwhile, my local Apple store has plenty of stock. I don't understand the logic here -- why not announce and make pre-orders available 2-3 weeks ahead of the store launch?

Yes, I could go buy one in person, then go back again and return my online order when it shows up (whenever that will be). But still -- I feel like I was one of the first people in line to say "Yes please, I'll take one of those!" and now I'm sitting here reading everyone else's unboxing and performance threads and wondering what was the point of ordering on launch day. [/sour grapes]
This is EXACTLY what happened to me with the iPhone 12 launch.
After paying for it 3 minutes after pre-orders opened, I had to wait 3 weeks.
Ended up getting the exact same phone during launch weekend at the local Apple store.
Returned the on line pre order phone on their dime and left a nasty note for Tim Cook.

I was pissed that all 9 local Apple stores had many on launch day for people who paid for it the day of or day before.

I asked Tim why a customer who got up at 5am on pre order day, ordered, pre=paid, and waited a week be told that it won't deliver for 2 more weeks!

Talk about treating a devout Apple client like a second step child!

Understand your frustration - I'd say buy it at the Apple store, make the 15 minute reservation window and pick her up.

As a side note, my M1 Mini is arriving on time - tomorrow. But it was shipped FED_EX overnight from a local Apple warehouse instead of from China which is very strange.
 
On launch day I ordered the Mac Mini M1 with 16gb of ram and 1TB of ssd. The site crashed and never saw the order.

so I figure let me wait for some reviews then and I can try the order again, so I place it and it wont deliver till dec 17-24 Which is disappointin.

suddenly yesterday out of the Blue UPS knocks on the door and I am thinking I have not ordered anything. I open the door and they have me sign for this small dense cardboard box I open and its a surprise Mac Mini from the launch day order lol.

cancelled my other order. now thats a surprise :) not even I expected to get one so soon.
 
Yeah well, I ordered the MM 16GB/512GB, knew it would take longer but was due to arrive 25th Nov, not much of a wait. Then it said it will be with me this Friday, amazing! Now it says on the UPS tracker there has been a delay and it won't arrive until 12th Dec, Apple still shows as Friday. WTF? And yes, ordered within minutes of the store opening back up after the event.
They don't carry that configuration in the store anyway.

16GB RAM is built to order, unfortunately.
 
Yeah well, I ordered the MM 16GB/512GB, knew it would take longer but was due to arrive 25th Nov, not much of a wait. Then it said it will be with me this Friday, amazing! Now it says on the UPS tracker there has been a delay and it won't arrive until 12th Dec, Apple still shows as Friday. WTF? And yes, ordered within minutes of the store opening back up after the event.
Even on non-Apple orders I’ve seen FedEX (for instance) giving almost impossibly fast delivery dates, and that was all in USA. Then, of course reality sets in, and whatever I’ve ordered shows several days later. I suppose it is the epidemic, and now of course holiday orders ramping up. I guess I’d rather have a realistic delivery date given, as opposed to a “fake”, faster day.
 
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The 16 GB/1 TB is available in stock at multiple Apple stores near me.

The post chain you quoted was talking about the Mini, not the 13” MacBook Pro. The 16/1TB for the MacBook Pro is carried in store (although they are all out of stock around here), but the Mac Mini doesn’t carry any of the BTO options in store as far as I can tell.
 
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Sorry; that's really frustrating. I've had that happen to me.

I think for most people the MacBooks were actually delivered early. I ordered my Air immediately and it showed 25th through 27th, but arrived on the 17th. I think Apple tries to exceed expectations for the majority of orders, but there will always be some late orders due to processing or shipping screwups.
Mine is opposite: Showed 17th when ordered, just shipped from PA today...
 
Yeah well, I ordered the MM 16GB/512GB, knew it would take longer but was due to arrive 25th Nov, not much of a wait. Then it said it will be with me this Friday, amazing! Now it says on the UPS tracker there has been a delay and it won't arrive until 12th Dec, Apple still shows as Friday. WTF? And yes, ordered within minutes of the store opening back up after the event.

I now had another update, So the process has been that it was arriving 25th Nov, then 20th Nov, then 12th Dec and it is now Monday 23rd Nov.

The UPS tracker does show it left Chek Lap Kok this morning so that is something. If it arrives on Monday that is still quicker than originally intended so still fine but what a shambles along the way.
 
Ok, well, I gave in! Ordered a 16 GB / 1 TB Air instead, since Apple had me here stewing and also wondering if I really needed the Pro at this point, since I'm only waiting out the 16" Pro in 2021. Gonna go pick it up in a few hours, then return the 13" Pro (whenever it arrives -- it's been stuck in Osaka since yesterday).

Not a huge difference in price between the two units, but Apple talked itself out of that cash, so to speak. Not like they would care. :)
 
usually if you order the stock models, its pretty useless... most stuff is in stock for pick up if you have the luxury of having apple store close by... the preorders are better for custom order
 
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[sour grapes]
Ordered my M1 MBP on launch date immediately after the store went up -- 8 days later, it's still in Shanghai. Meanwhile, my local Apple store has plenty of stock. I don't understand the logic here -- why not announce and make pre-orders available 2-3 weeks ahead of the store launch?

Yes, I could go buy one in person, then go back again and return my online order when it shows up (whenever that will be). But still -- I feel like I was one of the first people in line to say "Yes please, I'll take one of those!" and now I'm sitting here reading everyone else's unboxing and performance threads and wondering what was the point of ordering on launch day. [/sour grapes]
I ordered a M1 Mini on Launch Day and it should be here later this week. Since then I have decided that I didn't need to worry about thermal issues with the MacBook Air and I found an Apple store about an hour away that had stock on the model I decided to get and picked that up last night. I will be returning the Mini as soon as I receive it.
 
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usually if you order the stock models, its pretty useless... most stuff is in stock for pick up if you have the luxury of having apple store close by... the preorders are better for custom order

I am 20 minutes from two stores and 30 minutes to a third store. I can order today and pick it up on Saturday. It's typically one to two days to order a preconfigured model. The reason that there are so many stores in my area is that we don't have sales tax in my state and we're on the border with a state that has sales tax. So a lot of their shoppers buy in my state to use in their home state.

A nearby Apple Store is a luxury and it's part of the value equation for owning Apple gear. One of the Apple Stores was five minutes from my former employer which was also handy.
 
I am 20 minutes from two stores and 30 minutes to a third store. I can order today and pick it up on Saturday. It's typically one to two days to order a preconfigured model. The reason that there are so many stores in my area is that we don't have sales tax in my state and we're on the border with a state that has sales tax. So a lot of their shoppers buy in my state to use in their home state.

A nearby Apple Store is a luxury and it's part of the value equation for owning Apple gear. One of the Apple Stores was five minutes from my former employer which was also handy.

There are two stores within half an hour of me also but they are both closed due to Covid currently. That's why I had to drive down to Illinois to pick one up there instead of waiting for three weeks for an online order. The Mall in Illinois where I picked it up was a ghost town
 
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