Apple's MacBook Air Hit by Global Chip Shortage, Availability Affected
The supply crunch is being driven by high demand for HBM2 DRAM, a type of memory used in AI servers and high-performance computing systems
Apple's most popular laptop, the MacBook Air, has reportedly been affected by the global chip shortage, impacting its availability.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the shortage—driven by soaring demand from AI companies—had already affected Apple's Mac mini and Mac Studio. It has now extended to the MacBook Air, making it difficult for Apple to keep its popular laptop in stock.
The supply crunch is being driven by high demand for HBM2 DRAM, a type of memory used in AI servers and high-performance computing systems. This has reduced the supply of memory chips and storage components for consumer devices such as laptops and smartphones, leading to a sharp increase in the prices of SSDs and DDR5 RAM.
Customers ordering a MacBook Air through Apple's website are currently seeing estimated delivery dates stretching to late August or early September.
According to Gurman, Apple is considering raising prices and sourcing memory from Chinese suppliers to help ease the supply constraints. In June, the company had already increased the prices of several products, including MacBooks, by up to ₹40,000 to offset rising memory and storage costs.
Reports suggest that the global chip and memory shortage could continue into 2027, potentially driving up production costs for consumer electronics.
