Apple doesn’t typically sell you a product four to five months before delivery. There’s nothing typical about the global memory shortage, though. AI servers need a lot of RAM, and that’s seriously affecting Apple’s top Mac RAM inventory.
M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB RAM ships in August or September
If you order an M3 Ultra Mac Studio with the only remaining RAM upgrade today, Apple says it will arrive in four to five months.
That means the 256GB RAM option ordered in April arrives in August or September if the shipping estimate tracks.
Increasing the memory from 96GB to 512GB is a $2000 upgrade on an otherwise $4000 Mac.
However, $6000 for a high-end Mac isn’t exactly like playing around with the configurator to find the most expensive option.
Apple already dropped the highest configuration last month when the company stopped selling the 512GB RAM version.
The standard M3 Ultra Mac Studio that comes with 96GB RAM isn’t exactly readily available either.
Apple quotes delivery estimates of April 20 to April 27. That’s the same as the affordable MacBook Neo that’s currently in high demand.
Still, with four to five month shipping delays, it’s no wonder Apple was forced to drop the 512GB RAM option — even if customers were willing to pay.
If the situation remains unchanged, it certainly creates challenges for future Ultra chips being introduced. 512GB memory was a new high for the M3 Ultra.
Meanwhile, Apple has never made an M4 Ultra, and the M4 Max has been replaced with the M5 Max. Mac Studio currently comes with M4 Max or M3 Ultra chips.
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