Now that I have a Pro Display XDR safely secured to my desk, I am really itching for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip to arrive. I still can’t believe that it is scheduled to take seven weeks from when I first ordered it to (October 23rd) to ship to my door. The global chip shortage is real. Even so, even knowing I’ve got about three weeks of wait to go, I can’t help but check the order status page once every few hours, hoping against hope that perhaps I might get the new MacBook Pro sooner.
There’s even a thread on Reddit where all of us waiting for our Apple laptops can commiserate together.
I count myself lucky that I was able to get an iPhone 13 Pro on launch weekend. Apparently the stock of those things, plus the new Apple Watch, are highly constrained as well.
The chip shortage seems to be getting worse, if you’re following the news. BMW announced that they are doing away with touchscreen on most of their lineup until further notice, save the expensive models with an ‘M’ badge. As an owner of a BMW M2 Competition with a touchscreen, I can say it would be no big deal to me if I were confined to only using the physical controls. I hardly touch the screen anyways, because I hate leaving fingerprints on it.
That’s a bit idiosyncratic to me for sure. If I had a BMW on order and now suddenly the dealer is telling me there will be no touchscreen function, I would be annoyed. Getting $500 back in return doesn’t really help the situation when there is an absolute shortage of new cars, and I’m probably paying MSRP (or above) for the BMW in the first place!
I’m so glad I’m not in the market for a new car right now.
Especially for a GM vehicle. Similar to BMW, they’ve announced they are also cutting features from their lineup due to the chip shortage. Instead of touchscreen, GM is doing away with heated seats. This move is baffling to me because heated seats is a feature that is universally loved, and we are heading into the winter season. On cold mornings I really appreciate the heated seats and heated steering wheel of my M2. I would hate to lose those functions just because the world has ran out of silicon chips.
I would bet a not insignificant amount of potential GM car buyers will look elsewhere. Losing touchscreen function is either here nor there; losing heated seats? That’s a deal-breaker in my opinion.
Way back home.