Demand for 13″ MacBook Pro better than Apple planned

Supplies of some 13″ MacBook Pros appear to be quite constrained, suggesting the notebook is more popular than even Apple expected. While having to leave a customer waiting for a new computer is never ideal, it’s a good sign that Apple will report healthy sales numbers for its most recent fiscal quarter.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster issued a research note to clients this morning noting that some configurations of the new 13″ MacBook Pro have constrained supplies both online and in Apple’s retail stores. This is a good sign that demand for Apple’s most popular laptop is higher than ever as the back-to-school buying season is starting to kick into high gear.

Muster’s analysis is based on tracking the lead times for online Apple Store orders for various Macs. He noted that the current estimated shipping delay for the higher-end, 2.53GHz 13″ MacBook Pro is 7 to 10 business days—the longest delay in more than two years. A quick check of several of Apple’s brick-and-mortar retail stores also showed low stocks of 13″ models.

Read more: arstechnica.com