Apple has effectively increased the starting price of its Mac mini after heavy demand from AI users and ongoing processor supply constraints hit availability.

The company has removed the entry-level M4 Mac mini with 256GB of storage, which previously started at A$999. The line-up now begins at A$1,299, featuring the same M4 chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The higher-end M4 Pro Mac mini remains priced from A$2,199.

The cheaper 256GB model had already sold out at several outlets before being dropped from Apple’s line-up. Other Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations are also facing extended delivery times through Apple’s online store, with stock reportedly limited in some retail locations.

Mac mini - Apple (AU)

Departing Apple CEO Tim Cook said supply issues were linked partly to availability of the advanced manufacturing nodes used for Apple’s system-on-chip processors.

He also said demand had been stronger than expected as customers increasingly use the Mac mini and Mac Studio to run AI workloads locally.

“These are amazing platforms for AI and agentic tools,” Cook said, adding that customer interest had grown faster than Apple forecast.

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The compact desktop has become popular with developers and power users because it can be configured with enough memory to run large language models on-device, reducing reliance on cloud-based AI processing.

Cook said it could take several months for Mac mini and Mac Studio supply to return to balance.

The price shift follows broader increases across parts of Apple’s Mac line-up, including some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models earlier this year.