Apple this week stopped offering a 256GB storage option for the Mac mini worldwide. As a result, the desktop now has a higher starting price.
In the United States, for example, the Mac mini now starts at $799 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, whereas it previously started at $599 with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
While the 512GB configuration still started at $799, customers who want a new Mac mini from Apple for $599 no longer have that option.
Mac mini models equipped with the M4 Pro chip already had a minimum of 512 GB of storage, so there is no price change for these configurations.
The base Mac mini with 256 GB of storage was already unavailable for order since last week, but has now been completely removed from Apple’s configurator. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.
During an earnings conference call this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that supply of Mac mini and Mac Studio was limited, and he said it could take “several months” for Apple to reach balance between supply and demand. He said both of these Macs are “incredible platforms for AI and agent tools,” leading to higher-than-expected demand.
In March, Apple stopped offering the Mac Studio with 512 GB of RAM.
These changes to Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations come amid a global shortage of memory chips, driven by companies building AI server installations. Cook said Apple expects “significantly higher memory costs” in the current quarter, and that limited RAM availability will likely force Apple to make difficult business decisions.
Thanks, Spencer!