All posts tagged: Mac Studio

Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI

Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI

Published by skeptic

Overpriced Mac minis are flooding eBay amid shortages of the sold-out machines, which have become a favored tool for running on-device AI models like OpenClaw. This week, reports indicated that the $599 M4 Mac mini base model with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage is sold out on Apple’s retail website, with no options for delivery or in-store pickup. The shortages have since extended to other configurations of the base model, regardless of the amount of memory selected. This is the first time the base model has been sold out, some outlets noted. Meanwhile, models with higher storage (512GB and up) are only available to ship starting in June. As a result, eBay has become a secondary market for these in-demand computers. On the site, various configurations of the M4 Mac mini are available for sale at higher prices than if buying direct from Apple, which is no longer an option. Apple’s power-efficient Mac minis have become popular devices for testing and running at-home, on-device AI models, beginning with the OpenClaw craze but now extending …

MacBook Pro With Touch Screen and New Mac Studio Likely ‘Postponed’

MacBook Pro With Touch Screen and New Mac Studio Likely ‘Postponed’

Published by skeptic

The global memory chip shortage may result in the next MacBook Pro and Mac Studio models launching later than expected, according to the latest rumor. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has repeatedly stated that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a touch screen are slated to launch in late 2026 to early 2027. In his Power On newsletter today, though, he said to be prepared for the laptops to potentially arrive towards the end of that timeframe due to the chip shortage. In other words, early 2027 is now more likely than late 2026. Gurman previously expected a new Mac Studio to launch around the middle of 2026, which pointed towards an announcement around WWDC 2026 in June. However, in his newsletter today, he wrote that sources within Apple believe that the next Mac Studio models will not ship until around October this year as a result of the shortage. Touch-screen support will be part of a major refresh planned for the high-end MacBook Pro models, with other rumored features including M6 Pro and M6 Max …

5+ Things to Know About the Next Mac Studio

5+ Things to Know About the Next Mac Studio

Published by skeptic

Apple is working on an updated version of the Mac Studio that’s expected at some point in 2026, and with supplies of existing machines running low, we thought we’d highlight what’s next for Apple’s most powerful desktop machine. 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 now-discontinued Mac Pro, measuring in at 3.7 inches tall and 7.7 inches wide. The current ‌Mac Studio‌ supports Thunderbolt 5, and the next version will too. There haven’t been rumors of any changes to the port configuration. M5 Max and M5 Ultra Chips We’re expecting the ‌Mac Studio‌ to adopt M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. Apple already debuted the M5 Max with the MacBook Pro models that came out in March, but the M5 Ultra is still a mystery. The M5 Max has up to an 18-core CPU …

Apple Stops Accepting Orders for Some Mac Mini and Mac Studio Models

Apple Stops Accepting Orders for Some Mac Mini and Mac Studio Models

Published by skeptic

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, …

Apple Still Has More New Macs Planned for 2026

Apple Still Has More New Macs Planned for 2026

Published by skeptic

Apple is planning more Mac refreshes for the rest of the year, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman writes. In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that, following the introduction of the M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, and ‌MacBook Pro‌, Apple is preparing for further Mac refreshes to complete the 2026 lineup. These include an upgraded Mac Studio, which Gurman expects to arrive in the middle of 2026, followed by new iMac and Mac mini models. While the new ‌Mac Studio‌ and ‌Mac mini‌ “will look identical to the current iterations,” the 2026 ‌iMac‌ will feature a “refreshed color palette.” A new, high-end MacBook, potentially called the “MacBook Ultra,” is expected to arrive around the end of the year. It will feature the Mac’s first touchscreen and an OLED display. Although Gurman did not mention chips, the new ‌Mac Studio‌ is likely to feature the M5 Max chip and either an M4 or M5 Ultra chip, the ‌Mac mini‌ will probably offer M5 and M5 Pro variants, and the …

Mac Studio 512GB RAM Option Disappears Amid Global DRAM Shortage

Mac Studio 512GB RAM Option Disappears Amid Global DRAM Shortage

Published by skeptic

Apple quietly updated Mac Studio configuration options this week, removing the 512GB memory upgrade. As of yesterday, there is no option to purchase a ‌Mac Studio‌ with 512GB RAM, with the machine now maxing out at 256GB. The ‌Mac Studio‌ starts with 36GB RAM, but there were upgrades ranging from 48GB to 512GB, with the higher tier upgrades limited to the M3 Ultra chip. Now there are options ranging from 48GB to 256GB, with wait times into May for the 256GB upgrade. Apple has also raised the price for the 256GB RAM upgrade option. It used to cost $1,600 to go from 96GB to 256GB on the high-end M3 Ultra machine, but now it costs $2,000. 512GB was $4,000 when it was available. Apple has likely removed the option to purchase 512GB of memory because of global DRAM shortages that have dried up supply and caused prices to soar, and it’s also probably why shipping times for a configuration with 256GB RAM range into May. Demand for the ‌Mac Studio‌ has increased due to consumers …

Mac Studio 512GB RAM Option Disappears Amid Global DRAM Shortage

What’s Next for the Mac Studio

Published by skeptic

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 …