Thought Leadership
Apple’s best selling laptop, the MacBook Air, is currently in limited supply, according to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman.
According to Gurman, employees at Apple retail stores say MacBook Air inventory is tighter than ever. Apple’s US online store currently lists delivery times of two to six weeks, with configurations featuring more RAM facing the longest delays. Some models reportedly will not be available until late August or September.
The supply delays are affecting the MacBook Air even though Apple already raised prices on the device and 13 other products in June. In the US, the 13 inch model now starts at $1,299, up from $1,099.
The shortages are being driven by a global supply crunch affecting DRAM and flash memory chips. According to multiple reports, memory manufacturers are increasingly shifting production capacity toward high margin high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI data centers.
The impact initially hit niche products such as the Mac mini and Mac Studio. Now, the supply crunch is reaching Apple’s best selling laptop as well. According to Gurman, Apple is trying to ease the shortage in part by sourcing additional memory chips from Chinese suppliers.
Other Manufacturers Also Hit by Memory Shortages
Apple is not alone in facing the problem. On the same day Apple announced its price increases in June, Microsoft also raised prices for its Xbox consoles by $100 to $150 and simultaneously discontinued its previous top end configuration with 2TB of storage.
PC manufacturers Dell, HP, Lenovo and Asus have also recently raised prices or reduced the amount of memory included in their devices.
According to reports, memory maker Samsung expects the shortage to worsen further in 2027 before continuing into 2028. AI data centers are expected to keep consuming a significant share of global memory production, putting continued pressure on supplies for consumer electronics and PCs.
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