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 requires 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 meaningfull