Mac Mini Availability: Long Waits and High Prices

Three months ago, the outgoing one Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company he had been caught off guard by a huge increase in demand about Mac Mini. Cook said it could take “several months” to reach the target, given the number of people using a small computer. AI-type tasks.

Now, although things have changed a little, things are not good. On its downside, the original Mac Mini configuration was completely sold out at Apple’s retail store. This is true for other retailers like Amazon or Best Buy. Apple has also stored them for a long time Apple.combut the slow pace still shows how difficult the situation is.

The Long Wait

When buy directly from AppleThe cheapest Mac Mini with only 16 GB of RAM ships in three to four weeks. A MacBook Air from Apple with the same 16 GB of RAM configuration has a delivery window of two or three weeks – similar to MacBook Neo and 8 GB of RAM.

RAM is the main factor contributing to the delay, as the latency increases as the power increases. Mac Mini configurations with 36 GB of RAM have waiting times of one month, while 48 GB of memory will take three months or more to ship to customers. At this time, a Mac Studio and 48 GB of memory takes about “13 to 14 weeks” to arrive. That is a very long time to wait. These advanced memory replacements are not available at Amazon or Best Buy.

The wait times may put Apple at odds with its next iteration of the Mac Mini and Mac Studio. Apple hasn’t updated the Mac Mini since October 2024, but Rumors have been pointing to an M5 chip upgrade this fall. This means that if you order the M4 Mac Mini right now, you can receive it after the new model is announced. This is how Apple has fallen behind in meeting demand.

The fastest way to get a Mac Mini right now is through Amazon. Although the editing options are limited, you can buy an M4 Mac Mini with 24 GB of RAM and 512 GB in stock and shipped within a few days. You’ll be paying $1,570, which is $471 more than what the Apple Store is charging. You can also find M4 Pro Mac Mini for $1,570which is only $100 more than Apple’s prices and delivers within a week and a half. These are the only models I recommend buying at this time.

Even Higher Prices

Prices have risen across the board for all Macs. At the beginning of May, Apple quietly discontinued the basic configuration of the Mac Mini, which came with 256 GB of storage and cost $599. This means that the starting price of the Mac Mini jumped to $799.

Flash forward to the end of June, and the 256-GB configuration is back for $100 more at $699 (while the 512-GB model is another $100 down to $899), according to price increases are made for MacBooks. But Mac Studio is where things get really expensive. The starting price of M4 Max Mac Studio it went up to $2,499, up $500. The most powerful option, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio, went from $3,999 to $5,299. Not only are we waiting months for these devices, but now they cost 25 percent more.