First, the memory shortage pushed up the price tag of Apple’s MacBook Air. Now, it’s making the laptop nearly impossible to get your hands on.
Recently, according to well-known tech journalist Mark Gurman, the MacBook Air is facing serious supply shortages due to the memory and chip crunch, with a flood of new orders not shipping until September. Back in June, Apple had already raised the price of the MacBook Air by 1,500 yuan for the exact same reason.
Gurman wrote in his newsletter: “Sources at physical retail stores reveal that this Apple laptop has been persistently out of stock, and the restrictions on new unit shipments have hit a level they’ve never seen in their careers.”
Signs of the MacBook Air shortage are already visible on Apple’s official website. Gurman pointed out that all configurations of the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 chip MacBook Air on Apple’s US site are showing as “pre-order” status, with the latest deliveries stretching into early September—a wait of over a month. The higher the memory spec, the longer the wait.
He also noted that Apple’s back-to-school promo this year is heavily pushing the base M5 MacBook Pro starting at $1,999, clearly aiming to steer consumers who might otherwise gravitate toward the MacBook Air. Word has it that some promotional ads in this campaign even include a disclaimer: “MacBook Air inventory subject to availability.”
On August 4, a check of Apple’s China official site showed that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air (M5 chip) with 16GB memory are currently shipping between August 19 and August 26, while the 24GB and 32GB versions are slated for anywhere from August 26 to September 12. Meanwhile, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro can be delivered the very next day if ordered today. For those opting for in-store pickup, some MacBook Air models are available same-day at Apple’s Beijing Xidan Joy City, Wangfujing, and Sanlitun stores—but not at Beijing Huiju, China Mall, or Chaoyang Joy City.
Over on Apple’s Tmall flagship store, the MacBook Air wait is even longer—at least 22 days—while the MacBook Pro ships within 48 hours. A customer service rep from that store told reporters that the MacBook Air is a hot item, with orders staying heavy since graduation season, so warehouse stocking just takes time.
If you’re in a rush, the rep suggested ordering the pricier but faster-shipping MacBook Pro as a stopgap, then returning it once the Air finally arrives. They emphasized that Apple’s Tmall flagship store supports returns within 7 days of receipt for no human-caused damage and 14 days for quality issues—activation and unboxing are both fine for returns or exchanges.
Right now, the 13-inch MacBook Air (M5 chip) is priced at 9,999 yuan, with options for 16/24/32GB unified memory and 512GB to 4TB SSDs. The 15-inch MacBook Air (M5) jumped to 11,999 yuan after the price hike, with the high-spec 32GB model seeing an even steeper increase—and it’s also the main model currently backordered on the official site until early September.
For comparison, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip (base model, 16GB+512GB) goes for 15,999 yuan, the M5 Pro chip version is 19,999 yuan, and the M5 Max chip tops out at 33,999 yuan. The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip starts at 24,999 yuan, while the M5 Max version climbs to 35,999 yuan.
The MacBook Air is Apple’s go-to mid-range lightweight laptop in the Mac lineup, prized for its portability, long battery life, and balanced M5 chip performance. With its approachable pricing, it’s aimed at students, office commuters, and light creative users, covering the full-spectrum needs of most people. Unlike the entry-level minimalist MacBook Neo or the heavy-duty pro-focused MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air is Apple’s core volume driver for sustaining laptop sales and propping up overall Mac revenue.
Apple’s latest earnings report for the third fiscal quarter of fiscal 2026 shows total revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16% year-over-year, with profits hitting $29.789 billion, up 27%—both setting new all-time records for the period. The Mac business alone brought in $10.35 billion, a whopping 28.7% jump year-over-year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned during the earnings call that the new budget-friendly MacBook Neo has seen explosive market demand, while the MacBook Air remains “the best-selling laptop in the world.”
But Cook also admitted that the surge in storage chip prices has put unprecedented pressure on Apple. He described the current memory pricing environment as a “once-in-a-century flood,” noting that prices have risen exponentially. When asked about Apple’s recent price increases on Macs and iPads, he said the company made the call “reluctantly.”
Apple’s CFO Kevin Parekh also said the negative impact of chip and memory shortages will expand significantly quarter-over-quarter, with all three core product lines—iPhone, Mac, and iPad—feeling capacity constraints.
Cook elaborated that demand hasn’t weakened on the consumer side; rather, end-market orders are far outstripping what the supply chain can handle. With both advanced-process self-developed chip capacity and DRAM memory supply doubly constrained, “we’re struggling with the supply chain—its flexibility is far lower than usual, and even with advance stocking to boost shipments, the capacity ceiling remains tough to break through.” He noted that there are currently only three core suppliers in the memory market, and Apple is evaluating every possible avenue to expand supply channels and ease the dual pressure of cost and availability.
Just on August 2 local time, Gurman also reported that iPhones are expected to see price hikes of $100 to $200 (roughly 675 to 1,350 yuan). He said Apple will almost certainly raise prices this year, citing the ongoing memory chip and main processor shortages, the higher costs of the new camera system in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and—not to mention—the more expensive design of the first foldable iPhone.
As for the foldable iPhone, Gurman warned users to brace themselves: its starting price will be at least $2,000 (around 13,507 yuan), possibly even higher.
Meanwhile, consulting firm Counterpoint Research predicts that storage supply tightness and rising costs won’t ease in the near term. They expect OEMs to keep hiking prices and further optimizing product mixes to boost the share of high-value items, with supply increasingly becoming the key constraint on industry growth.
