Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro laptops may be coming a little later than we thought. Several previous leaks had indicated that the new MacBook Pro 14-inch 2021 and MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 would be released in Q2 or Q3 2021, but Apple has reportedly delayed production until later this year.

According to Nikkei Asia, Apple has "rescheduled" its mass production plans for the new MacBook 2 model from "May or June" to late 2021. The report does not identify the two aforementioned MacBooks, but these are likely to be the two size variants of the upcoming MacBook Pro.

Reporting from Taipei, Nikkei Asia states that these two laptops will use the Apple Silicon chip, following last year's M1-based MacBook Pro and M1-based MacBook Air. While this is undoubtedly a given at this stage, the report also lends credence to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's recent statement that the new MacBook Pro will not be available until late 2021.

Between this latest report, Kuo's, and DigiTimes' report on the MacBook Pro 14-inch, we already have a good idea of what to expect from these laptops. It looks like they will feature a mini LED display, an updated flat-edge design, HDMI and SD card readers, and new MagSafe charging. It is also expected to have physical function keys in place of the Touch Bar on older models.

Those expecting a July release may be disappointed, but there is no evidence to suggest that the 2021 MacBook Pro has been delayed beyond the end of this year. The "second half of the year" could mean after August 1, and even assuming the release date is not in the third quarter of 2021, as previously suggested, October, November, and December all remain.

Still, one should not expect an announcement anytime soon. The new MacBook is one of the few Apple products not included in the rumored Apple March event, which leaked information suggests will take place on March 23, although the iPad Pro 2021, Apple AirTags, and AirPods 3 are all said to make an appearance, MacBook Pro 2021 may have to wait its turn.