Mac mini up 50% in price: AI datacenters now absorb ~70% of high-end memory supply
Servola-Journal · reddit · 2026-08-26
The new Mac mini M6 starts at $899 versus $599 two years ago for the same base memory. The author traces the hike through the memory supply chain:
- TrendForce has DRAM contract prices up 90-95% quarter on quarter;
- AI datacenters now absorb roughly 70% of high-end memory supply — hyperscalers pay whatever it takes to keep GPU clusters fed, while consumer devices have retail price ceilings, so the squeeze hits margins first and then stickers;
- Intel and Silicon Motion both say this doesn't ease before 2028, signaling a multi-year reallocation of fab capacity toward AI infrastructure.
The author also asks whether laptop/phone OEMs are quietly downgrading base RAM/storage configs instead of raising prices.
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