Apple Cutting Back 2026 Hardware Shipments Due to Memory Shortage - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Cutting Back 2026 Hardware Shipments Due to Memory Shortage

Apple is scaling back its hardware shipment plans in 2026 due to DRAM shortages, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors
Kuo made the comment in a longer piece disputing a recent report suggesting TSMC has $1 billion of unpackaged processors waiting on memory chips that Apple has been unable to secure. Kuo said Apple plans processor production at least three months in advance based on the amount of memory expected to be available, and it does not have TSMC build large numbers of wafers ahead of time. He believes there are indeed memory shortages, but no situation where TSMC is sitting on unused inventory.

In other words, tight memory supply is real. But my understanding is that there has been no dramatic scenario in which TSMC first built up US$1 billion of WIP and then had to wait for memory to arrive before packaging could proceed. TSMC and Apple are both known for world-class execution, and such a dramatic development would be unusual given how closely the two companies coordinate their supply chains.

Memory shortages have already affected the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Air, and it sounds like ongoing supply problems will also impact the upcoming iPhone models. Memory makers have been prioritizing supply for AI data centers because contracts for those chips are more profitable, leaving less capacity available for consumer device chips.

A lack of supply has driven prices up and led to long wait times for some products. Apple raised prices on all of its Macs and iPads in June, and iPhone prices are expected to go up in September.

The iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra could be available in limited quantities because of the memory problems, and we expect the devices will sell out during the preorder period.

Popular Stories

Apple MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display family lineup feature

Apple Announces OLED MacBook Pro With Touch Display

Wednesday October 28, 2026 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new high-end MacBook Pro, which is available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. The new device has a PROLED XDR display that supports touch gestures, and a glowing rear Apple logo. Pricing on the MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch model and $3,399 for the 16-inch model. Apple says the MacBook Pro has the "world's best display in a pro laptop." The PROLED...
iPad mini OLED feature 1

Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:47 pm PDT by
While the new iPad mini has an OLED display, the device does not support ProMotion, meaning the display's refresh rate is limited to 60Hz instead of 120Hz. ProMotion support would have allowed for the iPad mini's refresh rate to automatically adjust from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on the content being displayed, but evidently Apple has kept the feature exclusive to the iPad Pro among iPad...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Opened Pre-Orders for Five New Products This Week

Wednesday October 28, 2026 2:49 am PDT by
Apple opened pre-orders for five new products on Wednesday, October 28, including its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models. Pre-orders opened for the following new products: iPad mini with OLED display and A20 Pro chip iMac with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 chip 14-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen Pre-orders for the iPad mini,...

Top Rated Comments

12 weeks ago

Yesterday was already too late to think about their own. 700% cumulative increase in just 2 years it’s just beginning and at the moment it’s nowhere nears the end.
Until OpenAI, Antrophic etc get hacked, whacked and hammered by their own famous models.Personally can’t wait for it to happen.
Best thing for humanity would if this worthless Ai would just come crashing down so we can move on to the next get rich quick scheme that the billionaires are using.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
12 weeks ago
I can't wait for all the posts next month "What? My ship date is January? But I pre ordered it as soon as it became available!"
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliApple Avatar
12 weeks ago
Whos gonna use the data centers?
The consumers
Just give us memory.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sosab123 Avatar
12 weeks ago

Are there any memory industry insiders on this forum? Are any of the memory suppliers working on significantly expanding production capacity?

I realise that fabs take a significant amount of time and money to build so if yes (to my question above) it wouldn’t be a quick fix but I’m wondering if new fabs planned or under construction are now on a much bigger scale than would maybe have been planned a year or two ago in order to better match supply with this explosion in demand.

I’ve read many posts from people longing for the AI bubble to burst so that some sanity returns to the memory market but I’m wondering whether there might be an alternative light at the end of this tunnel - the supply-side adapting to this new world order.

Edit: Sorry, I missed previous posts asking the same question. I’m still very interested in any detailed answers though in terms of when sufficient extra capacity might come on line to ease the current situation.
Honestly even if 10 new fabs magically appeared tomorrow I dont think we’d suddenly have a memory surplus. The AI giants would just eat the additional supply and we’d probably end up right back where we started.


The thing about AI is that there really isnt much of a point where “more memory” stops being useful in the same way it does with normal consumer hardware. Bigger models, longer context windows, larger batches, more concurrent inference, bigger KV caches etc all create ways to use more memory.


Obviously there are diminishing returns eventually. AI doesnt have an infinite appetite for memory. But as memory becomes available and cheaper it can also make workloads that werent previously economical or practical worth doing.


So I dont think the question is really “when will enough fabs come online to fix the shortage?”


Its more like


can the memory industry increase supply faster than the AI industry can figure out new ways to consume it?


And honestly I’m not convinced it can.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
12 weeks ago
I CANNOT WAIT for this ******** AI Bubble to bust and burst HARD. I'm so bloody sick of freaking AI. I'm constantly seeing ads on the train for AI this and AI that. It's just nauseating already. Go away.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
12 weeks ago

Are there any memory industry insiders on this forum? Are any of the memory suppliers working on significantly expanding production capacity?

I realise that fabs take a significant amount of time and money to build so if yes (to my question above) it wouldn’t be a quick fix but I’m wondering if new fabs planned or under construction are now on a much bigger scale than would maybe have been planned a year or two ago in order to better match supply with this explosion in demand.

I’ve read many posts from people longing for the AI bubble to burst so that some sanity returns to the memory market but I’m wondering whether there might be an alternative light at the end of this tunnel - the supply-side adapting to this new world order.

Edit: Sorry, I missed previous posts asking the same question. I’m still very interested in any detailed answers though in terms of when sufficient extra capacity might come on line to ease the current situation.
In short, no. Most DRAM companies have plans to expand modestly, but not aggressively. This is because they know history.

Uninformed posters who have never studied history are asking why Apple doesn't go in the DRAM business.

The short answer is, there's been 2 or 3 dozen DRAM companies over the past 40 years. We're basically down to 4 today. Everyone from Europeans to Japanese to Taiwanese have played in the game. Forgotten DRAM players like Hitachi, NEC, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Acer, Intel, Siemens, etc. It's a dog eat dog business with regular boom and bust cycles.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
22 minutes ago
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
7 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
7 hours ago
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
14 hours ago
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
15 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
16 hours ago
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
16 hours ago
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
17 hours ago
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
18 hours ago
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
19 hours ago
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
20 hours ago
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
21 hours ago
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
21 hours ago
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
22 hours ago
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
23 hours ago
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
23 hours ago
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
1 day ago
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
1 day ago
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
1 day ago
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
1 day ago
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
1 day ago
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
1 day ago
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
1 day ago
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
2 days ago
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
2 days ago
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
2 days ago
Apple Lowers App Store Fees in Taiwan Starting October 31
Apple Lowers App Store Fees in Taiwan Starting October 31
2 days ago
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
2 days ago
Apple Avoids Showing Pinched Fingers on iPad Mini Page in South Korea
Apple Avoids Showing Pinched Fingers on iPad Mini Page in South Korea
2 days ago
Old 'Popcorn Time' App Left Hundreds of Thousands of Macs at Risk
Old 'Popcorn Time' App Left Hundreds of Thousands of Macs at Risk
2 days ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors