In the US, the desktop now starts at $799 with an M4 chip, 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, up from $599 for the discontinued 256GB model.
The 256GB version had been unavailable since last week and is now removed from Apple's configurator entirely, while M4 Pro Mac mini models remain unchanged because they already started at 512GB.
CEO Tim Cook said Mac mini and Mac Studio supply is constrained for several months as AI-driven demand and a global memory chip shortage push up RAM costs; Apple also dropped a 512GB Mac Studio option in March.
Could Apple's removal of lower-cost Mac mini options signal a permanent shift in how tech giants respond to ongoing AI-driven memory shortages?
How might the dominance of just three memory suppliers reshape the future of AI hardware and the affordability of consumer technology worldwide?