Apple's 512GB Mac Studio vanishes, a quiet acknowledgment of the RAM shortage (arstechnica.com)

Article summary

Apple has quietly removed the 512GB RAM option from its top-tier M3 Ultra Mac Studio desktop, likely due to the ongoing RAM shortage. The 512GB configuration was not a mass-market machine, requiring the most expensive M3 Ultra model, which brought the system's price to $9,499. The removal of this option may be a sign that even Apple is not immune to the supply chain issues affecting the tech industry. The company's Ultra chips are the only ones that support more than 128GB of RAM, making this removal significant for certain users.

Main themes

• RAM shortage
• Apple Mac Studio
• Supply chain issues
• Tech industry trends
• High-end computing
• Memory and storage

What commenters say

• Apple's removal of the 512GB RAM option may be a strategic move to push users towards clustering multiple 256GB configurations together, taking advantage of the company's rdma support in macOS.
• The 512GB Mac Studio was not a typical consumer product, and its removal may not significantly impact Apple's sales, as most users who need such high RAM capacities are not looking at Apple products.
• Some users believe that Apple's decision to remove the 512GB option is a sign that the company is preparing to release new, more powerful processors, such as the M5 Ultra, which would make the current high-end model less desirable.
• The RAM shortage is a widespread issue affecting not only Apple but also other companies, including Raspberry Pi, which has seen significant price increases for its products, leading some users to consider alternative single-board computers or second-hand mini PCs.
• The Raspberry Pi is no longer a great value for its price, especially considering its limited IO options and the use of micro HDMI, which is not as widely supported as standard HDMI.
• Some users argue that the Raspberry Pi's focus on industrial and commercial applications has led to design decisions that are not ideal for home users, such as the use of micro HDMI and the lack of a standard HDMI port.
• The removal of the 512GB RAM option may be a sign that Apple is prioritizing its enterprise and business customers over individual users, as the high-end Mac Studio is often used for demanding workloads such as AI and graphics processing.
• The tech industry is experiencing a shift towards more specialized and expensive hardware, with some users predicting that companies like NVIDIA will eventually abandon their consumer-grade products to focus on more lucrative enterprise and data center markets.