Macbook Air Faces Supply Challenges Amid Global Memory Crisis

WHO:

Gizmodo - Mark Gurman, a reporter for Bloomberg, provided insights on the MacBook Air supply issues.

Gizmodo - Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, commented on the memory shortage.

WHAT:

TechCrunch - The global memory chip shortage is affecting the availability of the MacBook Air.

Gizmodo - Apple has included a “MacBook Air subject to availability” disclaimer in its back-to-school ads.

Gizmodo - Apple raised the price of the M5 MacBook Air by $200.

Gizmodo - Certain memory options for other Apple products have been removed from the online Apple Store.

Gizmodo - Supplies of the MacBook Air are described as “more constrained than they can ever recall.”

Gizmodo - The earliest shipping date for a MacBook Air online order is toward the end of the month, with some versions delayed until early next month.

Gizmodo - A basic MacBook Air ordered online is expected to arrive during the week of August 19-25.

WHERE:

Gizmodo - The issue is observed in local Apple Stores and online.

WHEN:

Gizmodo - The earliest shipping date for a MacBook Air is toward the end of this month, with some versions delayed until early next month.

WHY:

Gizmodo - The memory shortage is attributed to the global memory crunch caused by the AI buildout.

Gizmodo - Tim Cook described the memory shortage as “like a hundred-year flood” for the industry.

HOW:

Gizmodo - Apple is attempting to find Chinese memory to use in devices planned for sale in China.

(UPDATED August 2, 2026 22:51 UTC)

Apple is facing significant supply issues with the MacBook Air due to a global memory chip shortage, which CEO Tim Cook has likened to “a hundred-year flood” for the industry. The company has added a “MacBook Air subject to availability” disclaimer in its back-to-school ads and has raised the price of the M5 MacBook Air by $200, with some versions expected to ship as late as early next month. As a result, certain memory options for other Apple products have been removed from the online store, and the earliest shipping date for a basic MacBook Air is projected for the week of August 19-25.