Recently, we reported that higher-end memory configurations for both the Mac mini and the Mac Studio are experiencing significant shipping delays, with the highest-end configurations marked as “Currently Unavailable.” Today, it appears that the base M4 Mac mini model is in the same boat, as it’s also marked as “Currently Unavailable”; that’s the model with 256GB of storage and 16GB of memory, with an MSRP of $599 (or $499 for students). If you try to shop elsewhere, tough luck, as only the M4 Pro models are on sale now on Amazon.
From time to time, we’ve seen severe shipping delays for some Mac models, but we’ve never seen a situation this dire before. With the Mac mini starting to sell out, it could mean two things: higher demand and shorter supply. Earlier this year, we saw the M4 Mac mini garner significant attention, especially for Clawdbot and other AI-related tasks. Those shipping delays also likely contribute to the ongoing memory chip shortages, which lead to shorter supply for Apple’s own silicon. Additionally, the MacBook Neo is also sold out for this month, as you would have to wait until the middle of May to get one. On the other hand, the M4 iMac appears to still be in stock, as Apple could continue to reserve those full-fledged M4 chips for the 4-port iMac model for now (with the 2-port model using the binned 8-core CPU/8-core GPU variant).
So while the Mac has had a huge year so far with solid updates to the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro, as well as the launch of the MacBook Neo, it’s also a weird time to buy a Mac. Only time will tell, but it’s possible that we could see an update to the Mac mini within the next few months, likely with the M5 and the M5 Pro chips. For the Mac Studio, we would have to wait until this coming fall at the earliest, based on Mark Gurman’s latest claim.
