Storage and SSD shortages are not the only things holding Apple back Mac availability. TSMC's 3-nanometer manufacturing process also remains tight – with concrete consequences for the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and the upcoming OLED MacBook Ultra.
Anyone who tried to order a Mac mini or Mac Studio in recent weeks knows how strained Apple's supply chain currently is. Tim Cook discussed this at length in the latest earnings call and gave a clear outlook: the shortages persist, but they don't affect all Macs equally. A new report from Digitimes now shows that the problems run deeper than the DRAM shortage alone suggests. Apple's Apple Silicon chips, based on TSMC's 3-nanometer manufacturing process, also remain in short supply. Only the move to 2 nanometers could significantly ease the situation - but not for all models at once.
What Cook said about the Mac shortages in the earnings call
Apple's CEO left no doubt during the conference call that Mac supply will remain a concern for the next few months. He specifically mentioned the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and the new MacBook Neo as models where demand significantly exceeds supply. While the iPhone is less affected, Apple will need to work for several more months to achieve a balance between supply and demand for these Macs.
We had already contextualized the statements from the earnings call in our article on the Mac shortages for Mac mini and Mac Studio – they show an Apple that is celebrating the best Mac launch week in its history on the one hand, but is struggling with missing components in several areas on the other.
More than just memory: 3-nanometer manufacturing is also tightly controlled
So far, the focus of the reporting has been heavily on the global DRAM shortage. This particularly affects the Mac mini and Mac Studio configurations equipped with 32, 64, or 128 gigabytes of RAM – as we already reported when orders were halted in the Apple Store and the base Mac mini sold out.
The new Digitimes report introduces another aspect to the discussion that has been previously overlooked. According to the report, TSMC's 3-nanometer manufacturing process – on which Apple's current M4 and M5 generation chips are produced – remains in short supply. This chip shortage is therefore exacerbating the DRAM shortage. Only when TSMC has ramped up mass production of its 2-nanometer chip will the situation ease noticeably.
OLED MacBook Ultra: 2-nanometer leap as a beacon of hope
Apple is expected to use its 2-nanometer manufacturing process for the first time in the OLED MacBook Ultra – the model many consider the next design leap in the MacBook line. Originally expected for late 2026, several reports now suggest a delay to 2027.
If the Digitimes report is accurate, the OLED MacBook Ultra could indeed be more readily available than the rest of the current Mac lineup – simply because Apple secured a large share of TSMC's 2-nanometer capacity early on. As early as August 2025, it was reported that Apple had reserved roughly half of the total 2-nanometer capacity. However, this changes little for the Mac mini and Mac Studio, as these are expected to continue using 3-nanometer chips for some time.
iPhone 18 with A20 chips: Apple is better positioned here
The iPhone lineup is particularly interesting: The upcoming iPhone 18 models are expected to use the A20 and A20 Pro chips, both also manufactured using a 2-nanometer process. This is one of the reasons why Cook, in the earnings call, considered the iPhone less vulnerable to the current supply shortages. Apple appears to have purchased chips early and can therefore implement its iPhone strategy without major supply concerns – even though TSMC has recently announced several price increases.
It is noteworthy, however, that Apple is apparently no longer TSMC's largest customer. This position is said to have passed to Nvidia, which also plans to rely on TSMC's 2-nanometer manufacturing process for its AI data centers starting in 2027. While Apple remains a key partner, it will have to compete more fiercely for capacity – a structural issue that is likely to shape the coming quarters.
What Apple is doing – and what options are open
During the earnings call, Cook indicated that Apple is exploring several options to address the supply shortages. He did not specify any concrete measures. However, previous reports indicate that Apple is considering outsourcing the production of some older chips to external contract manufacturers, including Intel. This would free up capacity for older Apple Silicon generations without further straining TSMC's already overloaded production lines.
Apple's so-called carry-in inventory has also helped to mitigate the short-term impact. Cook stated that storage costs have already risen, but the real effect on business will only become truly noticeable after the June quarter. In other words, anyone buying a Mac now will still benefit from older inventory at previous prices. In the medium and long term, Mac prices are likely to rise.
Why all of this is also related to the AI boom
The underlying dynamic isn't new, but it's becoming increasingly acute. Hyperscalers and AI companies are reserving storage and computing power at a rate that consumer products struggle to keep up with. This has, among other things, led to Apple slightly delaying the launch of the MacBook Ultra due to the storage crisis.
Despite this environment, Apple has recently dominated the notebook market surprisingly strongly: While the global notebook market is shrinking, TrendForce predicts a clear increase for Apple, driven primarily by the MacBook Neo. We described the reasons behind this in detail in our report on MacBook sales in 2026.
What the 2-nanometer leap means for Apple's Mac strategy
The real leverage lies not in memory alone, but in the availability of modern manufacturing nodes. As long as TSMC's 2-nanometer line isn't fully scaled up, the Mac mini and Mac Studio will remain in their current state – with limited availability, long delivery times, and a tendency toward rising prices. Only the OLED MacBook Ultra marks the point at which Apple could once again produce with greater flexibility. The market is therefore waiting for a single step – and that is not expected to be fully implemented until 2027.
Apple's Mac shortages in the bigger picture
The current situation clearly demonstrates how heavily Apple's Mac business depends on two variables: TSMC's manufacturing capacity and the DRAM market. Both are currently dominated by the AI boom – and both directly impact the availability of the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and MacBook Neo. The savior lies in 2-nanometer manufacturing. However, it will be many months before it affects the entire Mac lineup. Apple will likely only regain its optimal Mac balance with the next generation – coinciding with the change at the top of the company, when John Ternus takes over as CEO on September 1st. (Image: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff)
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