From May 1, 2026, The $599 Mac Mini is no more.. Apple silently removed from the configurator the immoral version with M4 chip, 16 GB of RAM and 256GB storageand with that move it redefined how much it costs to enter the desktop Mac ecosystem. He didn’t announce it in a special statement, there was no event, there was no formal explanation. It simply disappeared from the catalog as if it had never been there.
The result is concrete for anyone who is thinking of buying one right now. The cheapest model available is the 512 GB version, which starts at $799.which implies a 33% increase in the entry price without changing any other component of the machine. There is no more RAM, there is no additional port, there is no improvement in the chip. Just 256GB extra storage and $200 more on your bill.
The chip shortage is behind all this
Apple hasn’t been completely opaque about what’s going on. Tim Cook, during the last call with investors, warned that The global shortage of memory chips was going to pressure the company’s margins for several quarters. That was the context that many ignored, but that now translates into a decision that directly affects the pocket of the final consumer.
The problem has several layers. On the one hand, demand for Mac Mini and Mac Studio has been notably higher than expected, exceeding Apple’s internal projections and those of its suppliers. On the other, the fever for artificial intelligence executed in native has made the Mac Mini a highly coveted device for semi-professional workloads, precisely because Its unified memory architecture makes it ideal for running AI models without depending on the cloud. Put another way, the Mac Mini became so standard for AI that it sold out of its own stock.
Added to this is a third variable that the journalist Value Gurman has pointed out in his publication. Apple could be preparing new models with M5 chips and would have begun reducing production of current models before the new generation is ready. That is, the shortage would not only be unintentional, but also part of inventory management calculated to facilitate the technological transition.
What the user pays is not a price increase, but it feels the same
Here comes the most interesting part of the matter, and also the most uncomfortable for Apple. Technically, the company hasn’t raised the price of the 512GB Mac Mini. That model was worth $799 before and is still worth $799 now. What he did was eliminate the cheapest option, which was $599, and let market logic do the rest.
Anyone who wants a new Mac Mini today has to shell out a minimum of $799. There is no way around it. And although on paper that is not a “price increase” in the accounting sense of the word, in practice the effect is exactly the same for the user who arrives at the store for the first time. The entry point went up $200 overnight, with no warning and no additional benefit beyond additional storage.
The curious thing is that Apple has also not confirmed whether the disappearance of the 256 GB model is permanent or temporary. That ambiguity gives the company a comfortable margin to reintroduce it later if supply conditions improve, but in the meantime, consumers who were hoping to take advantage of that entry price no longer have that option available in the official store.
Can you still get the 256 GB model?
The short answer is yes, but with nuances. There are still units of the $599 immoral model available on Amazon and other third-party retailerswhere the stock existing before discontinuation has not yet been exhausted. So if someone has been contemplating a purchase and wants to take advantage of that usual price, the window is still open, although it is closing quickly.
Apple, for its part, is accelerating Mac Mini production at its Houston, Texas, plant, with a view to having full manufacturing in the United States by the end of 2026. The company also acquired more than 100 million TSMC chips to try to mitigate the shortage, suggesting that the equipment’s initial availability could improve towards the fourth quarter of the year.
What is not so clear is whether this improvement in supply will be accompanied by the reactivation of the $599 model, or if Apple’s strategy is simply to maintain the entry threshold at $799 indefinitely. For now, The most affordable Mac Mini in recent Apple history is no longer part of the active catalogand those who today consider this equipment as a desktop option must adjust their budget to this new reality.
Keep reading:
• Apple launches surprise discounts and the Mac Mini M4 plummets in price
• Bad news if you were going to renew your Mac mini or Mac Studio: Apple could delay them due to a shortage of RAM
• Apple announces that it will begin producing Mac Mini in Texas
