Overview
- Apple’s M5 MacBook Air is in unusually short supply with many configurations now showing shipping dates in late August or early September.
- Suppliers and Apple sources say the squeeze stems from chipmakers shifting capacity to high‑bandwidth memory for AI data centers, cutting the flow of DDR5 and SSD components used in consumer laptops.
- Apple has raised Mac prices this year and is steering customers toward the higher‑margin 14‑inch M5 MacBook Pro to free production capacity for an M6 refresh.
- To relieve bottlenecks Apple has sought regional sourcing, including requests to buy memory from Chinese vendors that include a blacklisted supplier, prompting bipartisan U.S. senators to press Apple for a response by August 21.
- Industry watchers warn the memory shortage could last into 2028, which would keep prices elevated, limit back‑to‑school availability, and squeeze third‑party retailers and buyers who need immediate replacements.