Apple may take 'several months' to catch up to Mac mini and Studio demand

Source: Ars Technica

Shipping Delays and Contributing Factors

As we wrote last month, the extent of the shipping delays can probably be blamed on multiple factors. AI‑related demand for the desktops and chip shortages are likely contributors, but Apple is also said to be planning replacements for both the Mac mini and Mac Studio with Apple M5‑series chips later this year. It’s common for models to see their ship times slip when replacements are imminent. Cook’s “several months” estimate could easily include the introduction of new models, plus whatever time Apple needs to catch up to pent‑up demand afterward.

MacBook Neo Demand

Cook also noted that “customer response to MacBook Neo has been off the charts, with higher‑than‑expected demand” and that Apple “set a March record for customers new to the Mac, partly due to the Neo.” (Note that “a March record” is not the same thing as “an all‑time record,” but regardless, demand for the Neo has been healthy.)

Availability Comparison

MacBook Neo availability has been much better than for the Mac mini or Studio. A Neo ordered directly from Apple will usually arrive in two or three weeks, and this window has stayed roughly the same since early March. The Neo also remains widely available for same‑day shipping or pickup at third‑party retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, which is not true of most Mac mini or Studio models.

Financial Performance

Supply constraints aside, Apple’s Q2 2026 was a successful one for the company. Apple reported $111.2 billion in revenue, a 17 percent increase over Q2 2025, thanks to strong growth from iPhone 17 sales and its Services division. The Mac segment also grew 6 percent year over year despite the shortages affecting the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and MacBook Neo.

However, Apple isn’t immune to the industry‑wide RAM shortage: Cook said that Apple expected “significantly higher memory costs” for Q3 than it paid in Q2 and that “memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business” going forward.