The 256GB version of the company’s product is no longer available.
Apple has discontinued the $599 256GB Mac Mini, its cheapest option. The product lineup now begins with the $799 512GB Mac Mini. This model, powered by Apple’s M4 chip and featuring 16GB of RAM, offers double the storage capacity of the previous option.
Recently, Apple halted orders for the sold-out 256GB Mac Mini, suggesting a change was imminent. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who announced his upcoming departure after 14 years, noted on an earnings call that Mac Mini stock was limited due to global manufacturing challenges, making it difficult to meet existing demand. Technology companies and AI enthusiasts are dealing with a worldwide memory chip shortage, expected to worsen in the upcoming year.
Cook has linked the increased demand for the Mac Mini to its AI capabilities, as the device is marketed for its Apple Intelligence processing power. Consumers have increasingly turned to this portable computer, driven by the heightened interest in agentic AI following the debut of the open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw (formerly Moltbot and Clawdebot).