The new M1 iPad Pro is already back-ordered into June

Ipad Pro 2021 Hero (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple made its new M1-powered iPad Pro available for pre-order today.
Some models are already showing delivery estimates of up to six weeks.

Update, April 30 (3:30 p.m. EST): Shipping estimates for the 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro have slipped into July.

Apple made its new iPad Pro, complete with M1 chip, available for pre-order earlier today. We already knew that they wouldn't be ready to ship to customers until mid-May at the earliest, but some configurations have already slipped into June.

Those buying the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, in particular, are already facing delivery windows of 4-6 weeks, while some configurations are faring a little better. The 11-inch iPad Pro looks set for delivery in around three weeks – putting it right in the timeframe that we expected the new tablets to be delivered.

Ipad Pro Delivery Screenshot (Image credit: iMore)

It's easy to see why the new iPad Pro is so popular out the gate, too. With Apple's M1 making its way into an iPad for the first time these machines are set to be the fastest yet. Couple that with the larger iPad Pro also having a fancy new Retina XDR Display, and these new tablets are set to be hot property.

Extreme dynamic range comes to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.2 The Liquid Retina XDR display delivers true-to-life detail with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, great for viewing and editing HDR photos and videos or enjoying your favorite movies and TV shows. It also features a breathtaking 1000 nits of full‑screen brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness. And advanced display technologies like P3 wide color, True Tone, and ProMotion.

When these new iPad Pros do finally become available it's a good bet they'll be the best iPads money can buy. So long as you don't mind them being a little difficult to get hold of, at least. Until then, be sure to check out the best iPad Pro deals available right now. Who knows, you might even jump the queue!

Update, April 30 (4:30 p.m. EST) — Shipping estimates for the 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro have slipped into July.

As reported by MacRumors, shipping estimates for some configurations of the 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro have now slipped into July.

Shipping estimates for 12.9-inch iPad Pro models now range into July for orders placed today, though the highest-end 2TB model is still available for June delivery.128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models have delivery estimates of June 24 to July 8, while the 2TB model, which is priced at $2,200, will deliver between June 2 and June 9.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.