Why are the Mac mini and Mac Studio gradually becoming impossible to buy?
Source: Ars Technica
Overview
It’s a good time to be in the market for a MacBook, between the affordability of the MacBook Neo, the power of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros (review), and the all‑around appeal of the M5 MacBook Air.
Apple’s desktop computers, however, are another story, and not just because they’re due for their own M5 upgrades.
Availability Issues
Over the last few months, the Mac mini and the Mac Studio have gradually become harder to buy.
- The 512 GB M3 Ultra Mac Studio was removed from Apple’s website.
- Other models of both desktops have seen ship times slip from days to weeks to months.
- In the last couple of weeks, several configurations of Mac mini and Studio began showing up as “currently unavailable” on Apple’s site—a status that virtually never appears even when a hardware refresh is imminent.
This week, as spotted by MacRumors, the baseline $599 M4 Mac mini (16 GB RAM, 256 GB storage) earned the “currently unavailable” label for the first time.
Current Wait Times
- M4 Mac mini (512 GB+ storage, 16 GB or 24 GB RAM): 5–12 weeks.
- M4 Pro Mac mini (any storage, 24 GB or 48 GB RAM): 10–12 weeks (similar to the above).
Unavailable configurations:
- All M4 Mac mini models with 256 GB storage.
- All M4 minis with 32 GB RAM.
- All M4 Pro minis with 64 GB RAM.
- Mac Studio models with 128 GB or 256 GB RAM.
Other Studio configurations list the same five‑ to twelve‑week wait times as the minis.
Comparison with Other Macs
The shortage does not appear to affect the M4 iMac line; most iMac configurations, even those with 32 GB RAM, ship within one to two weeks.
It also isn’t limited to RAM or storage scarcity—new MacBook Pros with 128 GB RAM and large SSDs typically arrive within two to three weeks of ordering.