Apple raises prices on Mac and iPad lineups

Amid a worldwide memory shortage driven by the AI buildout, Apple is raising prices across its Mac and iPad lineups. While iPhone prices remain unchanged for the moment, there is a possibility that increases could arrive later in the year.

The price adjustments affect several hardware categories, with increases ranging from $30 to $500:

• MacBook Neo: $699 (up from $599)
• MacBook Air (base): $1,299 (up from $1,099)
• MacBook Pro: $1,999 (up from $1,699)
• Mac Studio: $2,499 (up from $1,999)
• iPad Air: $749 (up from $599)
• iPad Pro: $1,199 (up from $999)
• iPad (base): $449 (up from $349)
• iPad Mini: $599 (up from $499)
• Standard HomePod: $349 (up from $299)
• HomePod Mini: $129 (up from $99)
• Apple TV box: $129 (up from $99)
• Vision Pro: $3,699 (up from $3,499)

These price hikes follow a sharp rise in component costs. In March, analyst firm Counterpoint noted that smartphone DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) prices jumped by 50% and NAND Flash (non-volatile storage technology) storage prices jumped by over 90% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026. Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint, stated: “We have reached a point where absorbing memory price hikes is impossible unless one wishes to run a business at a major loss. Memory prices have increased more than fourfold since Q4 2025, and this single component has eroded the profit margins of most consumer electronics players. Apple has done well to hold prices steady until now, though it hinted at increases last week.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook previously stated that price hikes for the company’s products were unavoidable due to rising memory and storage component prices. Cook also noted that Apple is facing constraints on the main processing chip for iPhones, and that it may take several months to reach a supply-demand balance for other hardware. Pathak added that the growing demand for AI infrastructure has fundamentally changed the memory supply chain, meaning higher BOM (Bill of Materials) costs are now a lasting challenge. Counterpoint expects other PC and tablet OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to follow Apple’s example by raising prices, cutting discounts, or adjusting product lines. Meanwhile, memory suppliers like Micron are benefiting from the AI buildout, recording a 4x jump in year-over-year revenue.

Why it matters

This move highlights how the AI infrastructure boom is creating tangible, inflationary pressure on consumer hardware, forcing even the world’s most profitable tech companies to pass costs to the end user.