Apple is also prioritizing the 14-inch MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air.
Apple
Not only did MacBook Air prices recently go up from $1,099 to $1,299, but you couldn’t get one today even if you wanted to. Apple’s popular, lightweight model is currently in such short supply that if you order one today, you won’t receive it until the end of August, retail sources told Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Unusually, Apple is even pushing buyers toward another model.
“Across its website and retail stores, Apple is prominently steering customers toward the base MacBook Pro instead of the Air — something it has rarely, if ever, done,” Gurman wrote. “In some marketing materials, it even includes a warning: ‘MacBook Air subject to availability.'”
Normally, Apple has no problems making enough MacBooks to feed demand, but these aren’t normal times. The MacBook Air shortage is linked in part to the ongoing “Ramageddon” memory crunch caused by the insatiable demand from new AI data centers. Apparently, Apple is also prioritizing the 14-inch MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air in order to clear stock ahead of an M6 refresh for the former lineup, according to Gurman.
Though Apple beat Wall Street expectations for its last earnings report, the company warned investors and buyers that supply constraints could impact earnings next quarter and force it to further raise prices. At the same time, the new Apple Upgrade program introduced last week may drive higher demand for Apple products including its MacBook lineup.