Apple discontinues the 256GB storage model of the Mac mini, with the lowest price now set at 124,000 yen.



It has been reported that Apple is no longer offering the 256GB storage model of the Mac mini as its base model. The minimum storage capacity has now become 512GB, which has increased the minimum price by 30,000 yen.

Apple Stops Selling Mac Mini With 256GB of Storage, Starting Price Rises to $799 - MacRumors

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/01/mac-mini-now-starts-at-799/

MacRumors, a news site that covers Apple products, reported in late April 2026 that the basic Mac mini model with the M4 chip, 256GB of storage, and 16GB of RAM was out of stock on the Apple online store. While stock shortages on the official Apple store can sometimes be a sign that new products are on the way, in the case of the Mac mini, the shortage was believed to be due to purchases made by users wanting to run AI models locally.

However, according to MacRumors, the 256GB storage model, which had previously been listed as 'out of stock,' was completely removed from the options as of May 1, 2026.

Upon actually checking the ' Specifications ' section of the Japanese product page for the Mac mini, I found that the standard storage is 512GB, with options for 1TB or 2TB.



Furthermore, the minimum storage option available on the online store's

purchase page is 512GB.



When the Mac mini was announced in October 2024, the minimum configuration with an M4 (10-core CPU + 10-core GPU) processor, 16GB of unified memory, and 256GB of SSD storage was priced at 94,800 yen (including tax), making it a high-performance yet particularly inexpensive Mac product. However, as of May 2026, the minimum configuration now includes 512GB of SSD storage, raising the minimum price to 124,800 yen. As a result, it has been pointed out that the ' MacBook Neo ,' announced in March 2026, became the cheapest Mac product.




In Apple's Q2 2026 earnings announcement, CEO Tim Cook cited increased demand for Macs as a platform for running local AI models like OpenClaw as a factor in the rise in Mac sales. Cook stated, 'Both the Mac mini and Mac Studio are fantastic platforms for AI agent tools, and awareness of them is growing faster than we expected, with demand exceeding our expectations.'

Apple announces Q2 2026 earnings, showing strong performance in iPhone 17 series as well as increased Mac sales driven by AI demand - GIGAZINE



Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that many Mac mini and Mac Studio models are out of stock due to a surge in demand, but said it would take several more months for supply and demand to balance out, suggesting that supply may be limited for some time. It is unclear whether this supply limitation is related to the removal of the 256GB storage model. MacRumors has reached out to Apple for comment, but has not received a response as of the time of writing.

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in Hardware, Posted by log1e_dh