Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Apple has shifted from selling pre-configured Mac models to a fully customizable build-to-order system on its website, allowing customers to select display size, chip, memory, and storage options.
- Macworld reports this change emphasizes building a machine within budget rather than choosing from set configurations, potentially preparing for future CPU/GPU core selection with M5 chips.
- Third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are expected to continue offering standard configurations for customers preferring traditional purchasing methods.
For as long as Apple’s been selling Macs online, it has offered them in a very specific way. There’s the base model, then models with more RAM and storage, higher processor options, larger displays, etc. It requires a bit of study—some models have more storage but less RAM—but it made the pricing very clear.
If you go to buy a new Mac from Apple.com today, you’ll notice that things have changed. Instead of a variety of pre-configured options, you’ll see a single product page with “Customizable specs” that let you build your machine from the ground up. For the MacBook Pro, for example, you’ll select from the following options:
- Display size
- Color
- Screen type
- Chip
- Processing power
- Unified memory
- SSD storage
- Power adapter
- Keyboard
- Pro apps
- Payment options
- AppleCare coverage
The individual options haven’t changed—you still get 24GB of RAM standard with the M4 Pro and Max processors, for example—but the buying process puts more of an emphasis on building a machine within your budget rather than choosing from a variety of prebuilt configurations.
It’s not clear how this will affect third-party sellers such as Amazon and Best Buy, but it’s likely Apple will continue to ship common configurations.
Apple is rumored to offer the ability to customize CPU and GPU cores with the upcoming launch of the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, so this new system could pave the way for more build-to-order options. It could also be a way to “hide” smaller price increases as memory and other component costs rise throughout 2026.
