Apple has quietly updated its online store with many changes to how Macs are purchased. The company has moved away from predefined bundles and introduced a single-page configurator that allows customers to customize their Mac more directly.
The new “Build Your Mac” interface does away with Apple’s familiar fixed-price presets, such as entry-level, mid-range, and fully loaded models. In their place is a dynamic, single-page form that lets customers configure core components, including the processor, memory, storage, display, and software, step by step. On a MacBook Pro, buyers choose the display size, color, panel type, chip (M5, M4 Pro, or M4 Max), RAM, and SSD, with options for power adapters, keyboard layouts, professional apps, AppleCare, and financing all available on the same screen.
Apple’s traditional bundle system made inventory easier to manage and gave customers a straightforward pricing ladder. At the same time, it introduced hidden complexity, as small differences between models often required close comparison. The new approach simplifies that process, encouraging buyers to focus less on preset tiers and more on finding the right balance between cost and performance.
Apple can pull off this more modular sales model because of how its chips are built. Ever since the M1, Apple Silicon has used unified memory, meaning the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine all draw from the same RAM. That makes it easier to scale configurations from a single chip design without reworking the hardware, and especially now that chips like the M4 Pro and M4 Max come with 24GB of memory by default.
The update is not expected to have an immediate impact on third-party retailers such as Amazon or Best Buy. Apple is likely to continue shipping its most popular configurations for boxed retail sales, where discounts are more common. That said, the redesign gives customers a new reason to buy directly from Apple by offering a level of customization that wasn’t previously available.
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