If you were planning to upgrade your office with one of Apple’s desktop beasts, you might have to wait a long time or perhaps rethink your options. It seems that the Apple online store has started displaying a “Currently Unavailable” sign for the most powerful models of the Mac mini and Mac Studio, sparking a wave of questions about the real reason behind this sudden disappearance of certain professional configurations.
The disappearance of high-end models from the Apple Store
Observers have noted that specific Mac mini configurations, specifically those with 32GB or 64GB of RAM, have become completely unavailable for order on the official Apple store in the United States. The issue didn’t stop there; the disappearance also affected the Mac Studio, with Apple listing versions featuring 128GB or 256GB of memory as “Currently Unavailable,” meaning they cannot be ordered at this time.
This development follows a previous move by Apple last month, when it completely removed the massive 512GB memory option from the Mac Studio. As for the models that are still available for order, they continue to suffer from very long shipping times, with delivery estimates in some cases reaching between one and three months, making getting a new device anytime soon more of a dream than a reality.
Memory crisis or winds of change with M5 processors?
Naturally, speculation has begun to suggest that Apple might be preparing the stage for the launch of new Mac mini and Mac Studio devices powered by the upcoming M5 chips. However, the facts on the ground point to a more realistic and less optimistic reason: the severe global shortage of memory chips. With the massive explosion in demand for AI servers that consume huge amounts of RAM, manufacturers have found themselves in a frantic race to meet the needs of tech giants, which has directly affected the availability of these components for personal computers.
What confirms this theory is that the missing models are specifically those that rely on very high memory capacities. Although memory chip prices have started to show some stability, they remain much higher than their historical averages, which explains Apple’s inability to meet the high demand for these professional categories at the moment.
When will we see the upcoming updates?
Although the memory crisis is the primary suspect, Apple fans are still hoping to see new hardware soon. Expectations suggest that Apple may use the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this coming June to announce new Mac Studio models equipped with M5 Max and M5 Ultra processors. As for the Mac mini, it is likely to receive its share of the update with M5 and M5 Pro processors sometime in September or October of this year.
Until that time comes, the professional user will remain in a dilemma: either accept the currently available options with less memory, or wait for many months with the hope that the supply crisis will end or the new processors will arrive to save the day.
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