Apple's MacBook Air is facing a rare supply shortage

Apple is struggling to keep the MacBook Air, its most popular laptop, in stock as the ongoing memory chip shortage spreads across the company's Mac lineup, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Retail sources told Bloomberg that Apple is having difficulty maintaining inventory, with incoming shipments more constrained than they can remember. Apple's online store reflects the problem, with orders for all standard configurations not shipping until late August. Some combinations of screen size, color, and, most importantly, memory capacity will not be available until early September.

For a product that was updated with the M5 chip in March, delays approaching a month are highly unusual.

According to Bloomberg's sources, the MacBook Air shortage is directly linked to the continuing memory supply crunch. Apple is trying to secure additional memory from Chinese suppliers, at least for devices sold in China, while also raising prices by several hundred dollars across parts of its Mac lineup.

The company is also prioritizing sales of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, partly as it prepares for an M6 refresh later this fall. A new MacBook Air is expected to arrive later.

The shortage has also affected Apple's annual back-to-school promotion. The company reportedly delayed the campaign from June because of limited memory supplies and is now steering customers toward the base MacBook Pro rather than the Air, an unusual move for Apple. Some marketing materials already carry the disclaimer "MacBook Air subject to availability."

The memory shortage has caused problems elsewhere in Apple's Mac lineup. The company previously reduced the maximum RAM configuration of the Mac Studio to 96GB, while Tim Cook acknowledged that rising component costs related to memory shortages have contributed to higher prices for Apple hardware.