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Apple Says Mac Studio and Mac Mini Will Be in Short Supply for Months

During today's earnings call for the second fiscal quarter of 2026, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the Mac mini and Mac Studio could be hard to get for months to come.


"We think, looking forward, that the ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ may take several months to reach supply demand balance," Cook said.

Apple underestimated demand for the ‌Mac mini‌ and the ‌Mac Studio‌. "Both of these are amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools and the customer recognition of that is happening faster than what we had predicted, and so we saw higher than expected demand," Cook said.

Shipping delays for the ‌Mac mini‌ and the ‌Mac Studio‌ have been increasing over the last few months, and the waits for some models stretch into months. Apple stopped selling the ‌Mac Studio‌ with 512GB RAM entirely, and it stopped accepting orders for some models with higher amounts of RAM. As of last week, the base ‌Mac mini‌ was listed as "Currently Unavailable" from Apple's online store because it is out of stock.
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Apple Stops Accepting Orders for Some Mac Mini and Mac Studio Models

As noted by 9to5Mac, some Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are now completely out of stock on Apple's online store in the U.S. as of this writing.


Mac mini configurations with an upgraded 32GB or 64GB of RAM and Mac Studio configurations with an upgraded 128GB or 256GB of RAM are listed as "currently unavailable" on the storefront, meaning they can no longer be ordered at all.

Other configurations that remain available continue to face lengthy shipping delays, with estimated delivery timeframes ranging from one to three months.

Last month, Apple entirely removed the Mac Studio's 512GB of RAM option.

While the shipping delays have prompted speculation that Apple may be preparing to update the Mac mini and Mac Studio with M5 chips, the delays are likely the result of a severe global memory chip shortage driven by surging demand from companies building AI servers that require large amounts of RAM. After all, the Mac mini and Mac Studio models that are "currently unavailable" are those configured with higher amounts of RAM.

In addition, the current delivery timeframes are extraordinarily long, which makes it harder to determine if this is the usual sign of an upcoming refresh.

Memory chip prices are reportedly starting to stabilize or slightly decrease, but prices still remain well above historical averages, so Mac mini and Mac Studio shipping estimates might not meaningfully improve any time soon.

It is still possible that the Mac mini and Mac Studio will be updated soon, even if it is purely coincidental. However, our best guess is that Apple will announce Mac Studio models with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips at WWDC in June and update the Mac mini with M5 and M5 Pro chips at some point in September or October this year.
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Mac Mini and Mac Studio Facing Extreme Shipping Delays Amid Severe RAM Shortage

Apple's online store in the U.S. is currently showing delivery estimates of up to 4-5 months for many Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations with upgraded amounts of RAM. The delays are occurring amid a severe global memory chip shortage driven by surging demand from companies building AI servers that require large amounts of RAM.


For example, a Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip and 64GB of RAM ordered from Apple's online store in the U.S. today is estimated to ship in 16-18 weeks.

Even the $599 base model with an M4 chip and 16GB of RAM has a one-month delay.

Likewise, a Mac Studio with an M3 Ultra chip and 256GB of RAM is estimated to ship in 4-5 months, with in-store pickup not available until September.

Last month, Apple entirely removed the Mac Studio's 512GB of RAM option.

Memory chip prices are reportedly starting to stabilize or slightly decrease, but prices still remain well above historical averages, so high-end Mac mini and Mac Studio shipping estimates might not meaningfully improve any time soon.
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What's Next for the Mac Studio

Apple is working on an updated version of the Mac Studio, and the new machine is expected to launch in the first half of 2026. We've rounded up what we know about the next-generation ‌Mac Studio‌ so far.


Design


We're not expecting Apple to redesign the ‌Mac Studio‌, and there haven't been rumors of a design update. The ‌Mac Studio‌ will continue to have an Apple TV or Mac mini-like squircle design with rounded corners.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ is a much more compact desktop than the Mac Pro, measuring in at 3.7 inches tall and 7.7 inches wide. Apple has apparently put the ‌Mac Pro‌ on the backburner, and the ‌Mac Studio‌ is seen as the future of Mac desktop computing.

M5 Max and M5 Ultra Chips


We're expecting the ‌Mac Studio‌ to adopt M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. The M5 Max chip will offer much faster CPU and GPU performance than the M5 chip that came out last October, and the M5 Ultra will double the M5 Max performance.

Signs of the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips were spotted in the recent iOS 26.3 release candidate.

Faster SSD


The M5 MacBook Pro models were updated with a faster SSD, so the ‌Mac Studio‌ and other Macs coming in 2026 could get the same refresh.

Studio Display 2


Apple debuted the first Studio Display alongside the ‌Mac Studio‌, and there is a new Studio Display 2 rumored to be coming this year. We could get the new display alongside the new ‌Mac Studio‌.

The Studio Display 2 is expected to look like the current model, but it could get a faster 90Hz refresh rate, a mini-LED display, and an A19 chip.

Pricing


There haven't been rumors of pricing increases for the ‌Mac Studio‌, so it could continue to start at $1,999.

Release Timing


Last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that new ‌Mac Studio‌ models "shouldn't arrive too long after the spring Mac refresh," which is expected to include new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

New ‌MacBook Pro‌ models could come as early as the week of March 2, so the ‌Mac Studio‌ will come sometime after that date.
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This article, "What's Next for the Mac Studio" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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