MacBook Air M5 is nearly impossible to buy right now
The MacBook Air M5 has effectively vanished from shelves, and Apple itself has admitted why. AI data centers are consuming roughly 70% of the world's DRAM supply in 2026, leaving consumer devices — laptops, phones, tablets — fighting over the remaining 30%. Even Apple, the world's most valuable public company, can't secure enough memory chips to keep its best-selling laptop in stock.
The AI memory squeeze
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, whose supply chain reporting is about as close to official as it gets, says the shortage has nothing to do with a sudden surge in demand for the Air. Sales are steady. The problem is on the supply side: memory chip allocations are being swept up by hyperscalers building out AI infrastructure, and Apple simply isn't getting its usual share.
per MacRumors, retail sources describe the situation as "more constrained than they can ever recall" — a remarkable statement for a product that normally ships within days. Current US delivery estimates have slipped to two to six weeks, with the base M5 configuration not expected in stores until the end of August and higher-spec models pushed to September. Amazon is discounting the base model by $100, an unusual move that signals weak retail positioning even amid a shortage.
This follows a similar supply crunch earlier in 2026, when Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations disappeared for weeks — both machines popular with AI developers who buy them in volume.
Price up, stock down
Apple raised MacBook Air prices by $200 in June 2026. The 13-inch now starts at $1,299, up from $1,099; the 15-inch moved from $1,399 to $1,499. The hike came directly from memory cost pressure, per Digital Trends. Higher prices didn't cool demand — but they also haven't solved the supply problem.
There's a geopolitical wrinkle too. Apple is reportedly seeking approval to source DRAM from Chinese supplier CXMT, at least for units sold in China. A US Senate letter in July 2026 raised national security concerns about that move, according to CryptoBriefing. That review adds another layer of uncertainty to Apple's ability to fix the supply chain quickly.
What to expect
Samsung has forecast that memory supply pressure will remain tight through 2027 and into 2028 — this isn't a blip that clears in a few weeks. If you need a MacBook Air now, third-party UK sellers and US retailers show some availability with late-July to end-of-August delivery windows. Waiting for Apple's own stock to normalize before September looks unlikely for most configurations.
