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

collin_ said:
I think this is a margin thing rather than a hard supply constraint. RAM and storage get more expensive = they prioritize MacBooks and configurations where you pay an extra $200 for an extra 256GB of storage (...), which are more profitable.
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Could be. The MacBook Pro minimum storage configuration for a Max SoC went from 1TB on the M4 to 2TB on the M5 and I believe the price rose the $400 the 1TB to 2TB upgrade cost on the M4 model. So they can "absorb" the higher RAM and SSD component prices through the higher MSRP of the higher-spec model.
 
ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

When the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
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Have you seen the cost of SSDs and RAM?

Less than 6 months ago I purchased a 2 TB Samsung T7 for $129. That same drive today is over $500, almost $600.
 
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This is a bad look. Hopefully it's happening because they are literally out of the model and are not going to make any more because they're upgrading to M5 shortly. Everyone loves a cheap Mac, if you remove them then we're back to 1996.
 
ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

Remember that when the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
Click to expand...
You could not me any more wrong with that statement.

It's amazing that Tim Cook and Apple have kept the price the same since launch, considering that all major component prices have increased since 2024 when it was released.

I would also argue that the 256 GB storage option was quite limiting anyway, so while it removes choice (and a cheaper starting price), 512 GB is much more future proof and still an amazing value for such a powerful machine.

If $799 (or $699 for students) is too much, Tim also recently introduced the Macbook Neo with a $599 (or $499 for students) starting price. You can run the Neo in Clamshell Mode with an external display and basically have the same setup as the 2024 Mac Mini.

And for the record, $499 in 2005 is equivalent to about $840 today, so we are getting a more powerful computer for less money than before.
 
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ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

When the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Tim Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
Click to expand...

$499 in 2004 is equivalent to about $872 in 2026 dollars (according to usinflationcounter dot com). So even though the nominal price has risen to $799, the inflation-adjusted price has fallen by roughly 8%.

In terms of purchasing-power, the product is cheaper than it was in 2004.
 
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ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

When the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Tim Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
Click to expand...
💯 💯 💯 💯 💯
 
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ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

When the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Tim Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
Click to expand...
Something that was £499 in 2005 would cost £900 in 2026. Likewise, something that’s £799 today would have cost about £443 in 2005.
 
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M4 with 512 GB:
24 GB has a 9-10 week lead time. 32 GB isn't even available to order.
It seems Apple can't source memory anymore.
 
ThomasJL said:
Just another day of Tim Crook being Tim Crook.

When the Mac mini was first released in 2004 under Steve Jobs, the starting price was $499, and the logic being that it was supposed to be an affordable computer. Now, thanks to Tim Cook’s insatiable corporate greed, the starting price is $799.

The Tim Cook supporters will wrongly blame “inflation,” ignoring the fact that computer parts tend to drop in price faster than inflation rises.
Click to expand...
But $499 isn’t the same as $499 in 2026, inflation, shortages, wars and stuff.
 
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Honestly I've seen more people being negative about this price hike in which I kind of disagree with. Here is my take on the situation:

Apple notices that users and laptop owners in general more value the longevity of a device rather the short term deals there are that are good on the outside and doesn't seem like a tradeoff but once you actually start using them then the restrictions of the 256gb SSD come into play. sure this is a price hike and its not something to be glossed over but I find the value of a $799 desktop in which I can use for many years compared having to use a dongle and many USB flash drives to fill all my storage up for a cheaper price. Its a negative on the outside but on the inside its a huge win for consumer overall.
 
osx64 said:
Not a price increase (yet). Just a removal of a cheaper SKU.
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Probably cost more to produce 256GB memory chips compared to 512GB. There is a reason we don’t see anything below 256GB in abundance as the industry moves the entry storage amount higher.
 
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