As of today, Saturday, apple.com/mac-mini still shows a “Pre-order” button rather than a buy button. The Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, and the Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra, both move to general sale on Tuesday, September 22, nine days from today and eight days after macOS 27 Golden Gate ships free to every eligible existing Mac.
Key facts
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Mac mini and Mac Studio announced | August 2026 |
| Pre-orders opened | August 25, 2026 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate ships (free, existing Macs) | Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| Mac mini and Mac Studio general sale | Tuesday, September 22, 2026 |
| Mac Studio 512GB memory configuration | Not until late October 2026, per Apple |
Two dates, one operating system
The two dates sit eight days apart and involve the same software. Anyone updating an existing Mac gets macOS 27 Golden Gate free on Monday. Anyone buying a new Mac mini or Mac Studio waits until the following Tuesday, and receives a machine with macOS 27 already on it rather than downloaded after the fact. Apple’s own site still describes the hardware as a pre-order today, which is the clearest live confirmation that general availability has not started yet.
What is actually on sale September 22
| Model | Price (US) |
|---|---|
| Mac mini with M6 | $899 ($799 education) |
| Mac mini with M5 Pro | $1,699 ($1,599 education) |
| Mac Studio with M5 Max | $2,499 ($2,299 education) |
| Mac Studio with M5 Ultra | $5,499 ($5,099 education) |
Apple’s own August press releases for both machines are the source for those prices, and both note the Apple Upgrade Program leasing option starting at $48.99 a month for the M5 Max Mac Studio and $110.10 a month for the M5 Ultra, on 36-month terms.
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Why the gap between pre-order and general sale matters
A nine-day pre-order window is short by Apple’s own recent standards, and it overlaps directly with the busiest software week of the year: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27 all land the Monday before general sale, alongside the run-up to iPhone 18 Pro reaching stores three days after that on Friday, September 18. Anyone ordering a Mac mini or Mac Studio today is ordering into that same week, with delivery landing after the software has already been out for eight days.
The configuration still not on sale
Apple’s own Mac Studio press release states plainly that the 512GB unified memory configuration, the top tier available on the M5 Ultra model, does not ship until late October 2026, a separate and later date than either September 22 or the rest of the Mac Studio range. Anyone specifically waiting for that configuration is waiting past both dates in this article.
What Apple has not said
Apple has not published exact delivery-time estimates for pre-orders placed today, has not said whether in-store availability on September 22 will match online stock, and has not given an exact date in “late October” for the 512GB Mac Studio beyond that phrase. The event recap from announcement day and the A20 Pro chip explainer both cover related silicon in more depth while Apple stays quiet on those specifics.
The countdown from here is short: macOS 27 Golden Gate on Monday, iPhone 18 Pro in stores Friday, and Mac mini and Mac Studio general sale the Tuesday after that, September 22.
