Amid a worldwide memory shortage driven by the AI buildout, Apple has raised prices for its Mac and iPad lineups. The MacBook Neo now starts at $699, the base MacBook Air is priced at $1,299, and the MacBook Pro costs $1,999. Desktop-class Mac Studio is now $2,499. iPads have also seen price bumps: the Air now costs $749, the Pro costs $1,199, with base iPad models starting at $449.
Smart home devices are costlier too, with HomePod up to $349 and Apple TV box priced at $129. The Vision Pro headset is now $3,699. Apple stated the consumer electronics industry faces unprecedented challenges due to an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage driven by AI data centers.
Tim Cook has hinted that price hikes are unavoidable as memory and processing chip costs keep rising because of the AI boom. Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak suggests this single component has eroded profit margins, leading Apple to hold prices steady until now but hinting at increases last week. Other PC and tablet manufacturers may follow suit.
The AI chip crunch is affecting consumer companies, while suppliers like Micron are reaping the benefits with a 4x jump in year-over-year revenue.
