It appears that Apple may be struggling to get its year-end products off the production line and into stores; not only is the Apple Watch 7 reportedly suffering delays, but the release schedules for the 14-inch MacBook Pro 2021 and 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 It appears that they may be off track.

The news comes via DigiTimes, where the site's sources say that the new MacBook Pro could be released in October or November "instead of the usual September" due to a worldwide chip shortage.

As Apple Insider points out, there are major problems with this statement. In fact, Apple has never launched the MacBook Pro in September, which is usually when the new iPhone is launched. Nevertheless, this year is rumored to be a bit different, and Apple is said to be planning multiple events in September.

This new potential delay may have surprised even Apple. Luca Maestri, the company's CFO, mildly warned during the most recent earnings call that the next report would not look so rosy thanks to "supply constraints for the September quarter." He added, however, that "this constraint will mainly affect iPhones and iPads."

Still, if the DigiTimes report is accurate, the delay should not be significant and the new MacBook Pro should be off the production line by the end of the year. We expect a flat-edge redesign, featuring the same mini LED display technology that debuted on this year's 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The device is rumored to feature the Apple M1X chip, improved webcam performance, and the return of both MagSafe charging and HDMI ports. However, the TouchBar is said to be eliminated. The starting price for the new MacBook Pro M1X could also be $1,799.

Stay tuned to the MacBook Pro 2021 hub for the latest news and rumors as we get closer to launch.