Low iPad Pro and Macbook Pro Supplies Hint Apple’s About to Drop New Models

Shrinking inventories of Apple’s M4 iPad Pro and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro suggest new M5 versions of both devices could arrive soon, as Apple reportedly gears up for a fall hardware refresh.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg recently posted on X that supplies of the M4 iPad Pro are “fairly constrained” at Apple retail store locations, which he says is “a good as any sign” that an M5 iPad Pro is on the way.

He also adds that custom configurations of base-level 14-inch MacBook Pro models are constrained until the end of October, while higher-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations remain readily available.

Apple’s Release Pattern for M-Series Chips

Gurman’s expectations make sense when considering Apple’s typical shipping routine for Apple silicon device models. Historically, the company launched entry-level M-series chips in base Macs first — the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini — followed by Pro and Max variants several months later in higher-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

Apple changed course in 2023 with the M3 lineup, unveiling all three chips simultaneously during its October “Scary Fast” event. However, that was also the year it eliminated the older-style 13-inch MacBook Pro — a design left over from the Intel era — and brought the base M3 chip to the same 14-inch MacBook Pro design as its higher-end Pro and Max chips.

The M4 chip release timeline differed in a more unusual way, with Apple debuting it in an iPad Pro in May 2024, with no Mac models in sight. The updated MacBook Pro models came later in October — exactly one year after the 2023 event — along with the launch of the M4 Pro and M4 Max.

Signs Point to the M5 iPad Pro and at Least One MacBook Pro

Shipping delays aren’t the only indicator that new versions of the devices are on their way. If this timing seems optimistic, there’s evidence to back it up.

On September 30, the US Federal Communications Commission listed several new Apple devices, marking what appeared to be an early publication — effectively a leak — of Apple’s next hardware lineup. These included a MacBook Pro and 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro models in both Wi-Fi and cellular configurations. 

Over the summer, Gurman suggested Apple might delay its MacBook Pro launch until early 2026 to space out its product lineup. While sources positioned this as a possibility rather than a sure thing, these more recent revelations suggest that Apple might be trying a new tactic: simultaneously releasing the base M5 chip in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro while delaying the M5 Pro/Max MacBooks until next year. This would line up with the leaked FCC filings, which list a full roster of iPad Pro models, but only a single MacBook Pro.

New unboxing videos from Russian YouTubers appear to show prerelease M5 iPad Pro units, complete with Geekbench 6 results indicating an improvement of about 12% in multi-core CPU performance and a 36% boost in GPU performance compared to the current M4 chip. The video also showed that the 256 GB model will pack in 12 GB of RAM — up from 8 GB in the same M4 configuration — bringing it in line with this fall’s iPhone 17 lineup.

In July, Gurman reported that the M5 iPad Pro would get two front-facing cameras. While Gurman’s sources didn’t indicate there would be a special camera system for the new iPad Pro, it’s an acknowledgment by Apple that users do conduct video conferences with their iPad in both landscape and portrait orientations. However, neither of the Russian unboxing videos shows a second lens, and the hosts made no mention of it, so the dual-camera setup remains unconfirmed.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]