The $599 M4 Mac mini base model—16GB RAM, 256GB storage—is sold out on Apple’s retail website, with no delivery or in-store pickup available, TechCrunch reports. The shortage has since extended to other base model configurations regardless of memory selection. Models with higher storage (512GB and up) are only available to ship starting in June. The report describes this as the first time the base model has sold out.
eBay has absorbed the overflow demand. As of Friday morning, M4 base models with the 16GB/256GB configuration were listed at $715–$795 for new “open box” units and as high as $979 for “excellent” refurbished versions. Some “lightly used, pre-owned” units were selling for around $700—more than $100 above the price of a new unit from Apple. One listing for a brand-new unit with the same specs was priced at $925.
Why the Mac mini specifically
The report attributes the shortage to two converging factors: an industry-wide memory crunch and surging demand from developers and researchers running on-device AI models. Apple’s M4 Mac minis have become popular machines for this use case, beginning with what the report calls the “OpenClaw craze” and now extending to alternatives including ZeroClaw, AI tools from Anthropic and OpenAI, Perplexity Computer, and other specialized local models.
The report notes that Mac minis have practical advantages for this workload beyond raw performance: they run quietly and tend to be more reliable for 24/7 operation than laptops.
The shortage also coincides with Bloomberg reporting on plans for a Mac mini refresh, though the report notes that product refreshes have not typically caused shortages in the past.
The overflow to Mac Studio
Demand has not stayed contained to the Mac mini. The report says that as the Mac mini has become unavailable, Apple has seen increased demand for the Mac Studio, which is now also sold out across several configurations.
The report contrasts this with MacBook Pro availability: units with 128GB RAM and larger SSDs are available within a few weeks, and the new MacBook Neo is shipping within two to three weeks. That pattern, according to the report, suggests the real constraint is consumer demand for the Mac mini form factor rather than a broad Apple supply chain failure.
This article relies on a single source, TechCrunch, which could not be independently corroborated.