Following reports of dwindling iPhone 16e supplies, news has now surfaced about Mac Studio. While a new one is coming, there are simply too many external factors in 2026 to use as a reliable indicator of an imminent launch.
It seems like a no-brainer – if Apple is running out of Mac Studio, it’s because a new one is coming. And it seems so easy to find out because the online Apple Store lists how long the delivery time is for any item.
So if in most cases you were able to get your own Mac Studio the day after tomorrow, but now Apple says it will take weeks, stock is clearly low. This then is the syllogism of the rumour: a new device is expected, stocks are now low, so a new device is coming.
That’s the thinking behind the recent rumors of stock shortages for the iPhone 16e and iPad Air — though AppleInsider research shows no significant delays in shipping. Back in October 2025, there were reports that the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini were in short supply, and four months later we still haven’t seen any new models.
This may or may not be true
What is most compelling about this reasoning is that it could be true. Apple runs an extremely tight ship, so they never keep inventory in stock for more than maybe 30 days.
When the new device is really close, Apple will surely stop ordering production of the old model. Or at least he stops once he believes he has more than he can sell.
Details from the current Mac Studio order page
After all, you’ll never see a sharp intake of breath from anyone at the Apple Store if you buy a $7,000 Mac Pro an hour before the new version comes out.
The problem is, as appealing as this thinking is, the only thing long shipping times mean is that you’ll have to wait exactly that long.
Apple operates an incredibly complex global supply and distribution system — which it recently had to overhaul to minimize the impact of tariffs. For example, an unexpected increase in demand for the iPhone in China may mean a change in availability elsewhere.
Or, as has become most apparent during the pandemic, supply issues can cause iPhone shipments to be backdated by months. In January 2026, Tim Cook revealed that Apple was unable to meet demand for the iPhone 18 series.
Supplies will be more unpredictable in 2026
That doesn’t seem likely to change at the moment either. TSMC’s processor foundry is said to be at maximum capacity. And Apple is no longer its biggest customer, which can buy everything it can make.
In addition, 2026 sees demand for RAM far outstripping supply thanks to artificial intelligence and server farms. This applies to all tech companies, not just Apple, and it means manufacturers are able to charge so much that iPhone prices may have to rise.
It also means Apple will have to renegotiate its memory contracts sooner rather than later. Maybe that means delaying production until he has stock, maybe that means waiting in anticipation of a better offer.
In any case, this represents a delay, and there is no way to know whether the longer delivery times are attributable to this or to a genuine pre-market failure.
Studying inventory at the very time a new device is expected to be on the market is worthless. However, their ongoing study is more revealing – it shows that Apple’s lead times are steadily increasing and decreasing across the board.
That’s why when any Apple device is available for eight months or more, AppleInsider checks shipping dates three times a week for all major hardware it sells. And even then there is no need to attach much importance to it, and we reevaluate this practice as the years go by.
In this case, the two-month wait for Mac Studios’ own has been running non-stop since October. However, devices often ship much faster than this estimate.
There’s no really accurate way to predict when Apple will release a new device or a new update, other than looking at the tea leaves through the lens of previous releases — and that’s not great either.
You certainly don’t want to spend a lot of money on a device only to see it replaced the next day. Even if the one you bought is still exactly as good as you expected.
If the model is updated, you have little options, as Apple usually uses a 14-day return period.
But still, the only practical approach is to buy the equipment you need when you need it. And then probably close your ears to new news for a while.