Mac mini starting price goes up to $799, may be hard to get for 'months'
Source: Ars Technica
Apple’s Mac mini and Mac Studio Are Hard to Buy
“Chip shortages and demand from AI enthusiasts are both playing a part.” – Andrew Cunningham
Credit: Andrew Cunningham
Apple’s desktop lineup—Mac mini and Mac Studio—has become increasingly difficult to purchase throughout 2026.
- Multiple configurations appear on Apple’s site as “currently unavailable,” a status that is rarely seen.
- Some models now require weeks or months of lead time before they ship.
- The top‑end Mac Studio with 512 GB of RAM was delisted entirely【source】.
Entry‑level Mac mini
- The $599 entry‑level Mac mini (256 GB storage) has been removed from Apple’s store.
- The cheapest new Mac mini you can order now is $799, which includes:
- M4 chip
- 16 GB RAM (up from 8 GB on earlier models)
- 512 GB storage
- This isn’t a price increase; Apple has kept the $799 price point for these specs since the M4 launch in late 2024.
- However, because the 256 GB variant is gone, the original $599 starting price is no longer available unless you find leftover stock at a third‑party retailer.
Historical context
| Year | Model | Starting price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Intel‑based Mac mini | $799 | Last time the starting price was this high |
| 2020 | M1 Mac mini | $699 | Apple Silicon debut |
| 2022 | M2 Mac mini | $599 | Price fell with new chip |
| 2024 | M4 Mac mini | $599 (256 GB) → $799 (512 GB) | RAM bump to 16 GB, more future‑proof |
The Mac mini’s starting price rose again because Apple doubled the base RAM, making the entry model more useful.
Related product moves
- Earlier this year Apple discontinued the 256 GB MacBook Air when it launched the M5 models【source】.
- The MacBook Air’s starting price only went up $100, not $200 like the Mac mini.
What’s next?
- A new M5 Mac mini is rumored for later 2026.
- Its launch price could range from $599 to $799, depending on the configuration and Apple’s component costs for memory and storage at that time.
Current ordering experience
- Ordering a $799 Mac mini today from Apple’s website results in a 5–6 week delivery window.
For more details, see the full articles linked above.
“Higher‑than‑expected demand”
Current Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the situation on Apple’s Q2 earnings call last week as part of a larger conversation about how Apple is navigating component shortages. He partly blamed the shortage on the popularity of the Mac mini and Mac Studio among users looking to run AI agents and other tools locally.
“Both [the Mac mini and the Mac Studio] are amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools, and the customer recognition of that is happening faster than what we had predicted, and so we saw higher‑than‑expected demand,” said Cook.
“We think looking forward that the Mac mini and the Mac Studio may take several months to reach supply‑demand balance.”
Cook wasn’t specific about which components were driving the shortages, but he noted that the availability of the advanced manufacturing nodes used to produce Apple’s SoCs was constrained, giving Apple “less flexibility in the supply chain than we normally would.” In other words, it has become harder for Apple to go to TSMC and ask for more chips because TSMC lacks spare capacity. Cook said these constraints primarily affected the iPhone and only to a lesser extent the Mac.
As we wrote last month, the shipping delays can probably be blamed on multiple factors:
- AI‑related demand for the desktops.
- Chip shortages.
- Apple’s planned replacement of both systems with 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 the time Apple needs to catch up to pent‑up demand afterward.
Cook also noted that customer response to the 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.” (A March record is not the same as an all‑time record, but demand for the Neo has clearly been healthy.)
- Availability: A Neo ordered directly from Apple usually arrives in two‑ or three‑week shipping, a window that has stayed roughly the same since early March.
- Retail presence: The Neo remains widely available for same‑day shipping or pickup at third‑party retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy—unlike most Mac mini or Mac Studio models.
Overall Q2 2026 performance
Apple’s Q2 2026 was a successful quarter:
- Revenue: $111.2 billion, a 17 % increase YoY, driven by strong iPhone 17 sales and Services growth.
- Mac segment: Up 6 % YoY despite shortages affecting the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and MacBook Neo.
- RAM shortage: Cook warned that “significantly higher memory costs” are expected for Q3, and that “memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business” going forward.
This story was updated on May 4 at 10:55 a.m. ET to add details about the discontinued $599 Mac mini.
About the author
Andrew Cunningham is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica, focusing on consumer tech, computer hardware, and in‑depth OS reviews. He lives in Philadelphia and co‑hosts the weekly book podcast Overdue.
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