Apple's $599 M4 Mac mini with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage sold out online in April, with shortages spreading across other base configurations. Models with larger drives were listed for June delivery. The compact desktop has become popular for running local AI software, including OpenClaw and related tools, while the computer industry faces constrained memory supplies. On eBay, new open-box base models were listed around $715 to $795, lightly used units around $700, and one refurbished machine at $979. Several Mac Studio configurations also sold out, while some high-memory MacBook Pros remained available within weeks.

The markup gives a price to a specific desire for private, continuous computation at home. A local model can run on a machine the owner controls rather than depending entirely on a remote service, but that arrangement requires memory, electricity, physical space, and hardware available at retail. Scarcity has turned a modest aluminum box into a speculative object whose resale value reflects both supply pressure and impatience. The episode also corrects the weightless language surrounding personal AI. Every supposedly local assistant occupies chips assembled through a strained supply chain and purchased against other buyers seeking the same components. For now, the choice between waiting for Apple and paying a reseller appears in an eBay listing above the original $599 price.