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Apple is launching new Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops with faster chips aimed at artificial-intelligence workloads, lifting starting prices by $100 or $200 while retaining the same external designs. Preorders begin Tuesday and shipments start Sept. 22, following a stretch in which demand for the previous generations exceeded supply and some configurations disappeared from shelves. Apple says AI performance is at least four times faster than on predecessor chips, while graphics performance is at least twice as fast.

Details

• Mac Mini pricing: The Mac Mini with the all-new M6 chip starts at $899, and the M5 Pro model begins at $1,699. Both are $100 above the previous M4 and M4 Pro versions. Apple had earlier removed the entry-level Mini before restoring it at $799, up from $599.
• Mac Studio range: The M5 Max Mac Studio starts at $2,499, while the M5 Ultra version starts at $5,499, $200 above the preceding M3 Ultra model. A fully configured Studio could cost $15,000 or more, positioning the compact desktop as a high-end system for businesses and AI power users.
• Unified memory gains: Macs use a unified memory architecture in which the CPU and GPU share one pool of memory on the same chip. That arrangement helps local large language models process prompts and generate responses faster, underpinning the machines’ appeal for processor-intensive, on-device AI agents such as OpenClaw.
• Expanded memory options: Apple has restored the larger memory tiers it removed earlier this year and added more capacity. Mac Studio now supports up to 512 gigabytes of RAM; that configuration is scheduled to ship in late October, later than the initial September release.
• Unexpected sales momentum: Mac Mini usually represents only about 3% of Apple’s U.S. Mac unit sales, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates. Yet the Mini and Studio became sleeper hits as OpenClaw and other on-device AI agents took off, contributing to shortages and extended delivery windows for certain specifications.
• Chip-cost pressure: Chief Executive Tim Cook warned during an April earnings call that supply would remain tight for months. In June, he said “price increases are unavoidable” because memory and storage chip costs were surging. MacBook prices also rose, while higher-memory MacBook Air models remained difficult to keep in stock.

Background

Apple’s pitch is that paying more upfront can reduce business spending on outside AI services by allowing models to run locally. The company has also displayed a Mac Mini assembly line in Houston that is due to begin producing machines later this year.

What’s next

Preorders open Tuesday, with general shipments due Sept. 22. The 512GB Mac Studio configuration follows in late October, and the Houston assembly line is set to start production later this year.