Apple has removed two desktop Macs from its online store as the global memory shortage persists. The Mac mini with 64 GB of RAM is no longer available for purchase, nor the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256 GB of RAM.
The M3 Ultra Mac Studio is now only available in a 96GB RAM configuration, with higher tier options eliminated. The M3 Mac Studio and M4 Max Mac Studio models have delivery estimates of 9-10 weeks.
As for the Mac mini, the M4 Pro model now maxes out at 48GB of RAM, with customers no longer able to choose the 64GB option.
Last week, Apple removed the Mac mini with 256GB of SSD storage, leaving the 512GB model as the minimum option. This effectively increased the price of the Mac mini from $599 to $799. Apple stopped accepting orders for certain Mac Studio and Mac mini machines with higher amounts of RAM in March and April.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that the Mac mini and Mac Studio will be difficult to obtain in the coming months. “We expect, looking forward, that the Mac mini and Mac Studio could take several months to reach balance between supply and demand,” Cook said.
According to Cook, Apple underestimated demand for the Mac mini and Mac Studio from customers looking for a machine to run AI and agent tools locally. He said Apple also expects significantly higher memory costs in the coming months, so Apple will likely conserve supply by eliminating some configuration options. Global supply constraints caused by demand for AI servers have impacted the price of memory chips, leading to high prices and memory shortages.
Popular stories
Mac Mini and Mac Studio facing extreme delivery delays due to severe RAM shortage
Apple’s US online store currently shows delivery estimates of up to 4-5 months for many Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations with upgraded RAM amounts. The delays come amid a severe global shortage of memory chips, driven by growing demand from companies building AI servers requiring large amounts of RAM. For example, a Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip and 64 GB of RAM…
Apple stops accepting orders for certain Mac Mini and Mac Studio models
As noted by 9to5Mac, some Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are now completely out of stock on Apple’s US online store as of this writing. Mac mini configurations with upgraded 32GB or 64GB RAM and Mac Studio configurations with upgraded 128GB or 256GB RAM are listed as “currently unavailable” on the storefront, meaning they can no longer be ordered at all. Other …
Perplexity launches Personal Computer for Mac, turning a Mac mini into an always-on AI agent
Perplexity today released Personal Computer, an extension to Perplexity Computer that integrates with local files and applications on a Mac. Personal Computer was announced in March and was available on a waitlist, but it’s officially rolling out today to Max subscribers. Perplexity Computer was released earlier this year and it is an all-in-one “digital worker” capable of creating and running…