Overview
- Apple has removed the 256 GB Mac mini from sale, so the desktop now starts at €949 with a 512 GB SSD, an M4 chip, and 16 GB of memory.
- The company has further narrowed memory choices on its desktops, with Mac mini M4 limited to 16 or 24 GB, Mac mini M4 Pro capped at 48 GB, and Mac Studio M3 Ultra topping out at 96 GB, with some Studio models showing waits of up to ten weeks.
- CEO Tim Cook said it could take several months for supply and demand to rebalance as buyers use Mac mini and Mac Studio as low-cost machines to run artificial intelligence tools.
- Industry reporting points to a global shortage of RAM chips linked to new AI data centers, which reduces parts available for consumer models and makes low-cost builds harder to offer.
- Higher-spec Mac mini M4 Pro pricing stays at €1699, while Apple earlier dropped the top Mac Studio configuration and pulled the Mac Pro, leaving the €699 MacBook Neo as the lone lower-priced option.