Apple MacBook Air faces severe supply shortage amid memory crunch
What's the story
Apple's latest M5 MacBook Air is facing severe supply shortages, primarily due to a global shortage of memory and storage components. The rising demand for high-end components such as HBM2 DRAM has worsened the situation. Prices of SSDs and DDR5 RAM have skyrocketed, prompting Apple to raise its product prices twice this year, from $999 in March to $1,299 by June.
Production shift
Apple prioritizes base M5 MacBook Pro production
Apple is prioritizing the production of base M5 MacBook Pros in anticipation of their expected refresh later this year.
Retailers have reported that these supply issues are among the worst they've ever seen.
Despite price hikes, the MacBook Air continues to sell out quickly, indicating that demand isn't slowing down anytime soon.
Price adjustments
Retailers report unprecedented supply issues
In response to the ongoing memory crisis, Apple has raised prices for its products. The company is also looking at sourcing memory from Chinese suppliers as a possible solution.
Retailers have noted that the MacBook Air is more supply-constrained than ever before, with delivery wait times extending to the back half of August or, for certain configurations, until September.
Market influence
Apple's response to supply constraints
Apple's price adjustments have been significant, with the MacBook Air's price increasing from $999 to $1,099 in March (alongside the launch of the M5 model) and then to $1,299 by June.
Despite these increases, reports indicate that Apple is still struggling to keep up with demand for the M5 MacBook Air.
The company has warned that supply constraints could affect sales in the next quarter and hinted at possible future price hikes.