Apple just delivered news of price hikes across major products and there's one thing to blame
Apple has raised prices across several of its major products, in a move that could make some of its most popular devices significantly more expensive for customers who’ve already been paying more for various tech due to the ongoing RAM crisis.
The company’s latest changes affect multiple categories, including Macs, iPads, Apple TV, HomePod products, and Vision Pro, according to TechRadar.
The price increases come after weeks of warnings that rising component costs could begin feeding through to consumer technology, with Apple previously signalling that it was facing growing pressure from the cost of memory and storage.
While the company has not made a major public announcement around the changes, reports say that Apple’s online store briefly went offline before returning with revised prices across a number of product lines.
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The clearest reason behind the increases appears to be the said RAM and memory crisis, which has been fuelled by surging demand from AI data centres.
Among the most notable changes is the MacBook Neo, which had been positioned as Apple’s cheaper laptop option. The device now starts at $699 in the US and £699 in the UK, after previously being listed at $599 and £599.
The MacBook Air 13 has also risen from $1,099 to $1,299 in the US and from £1,099 to £1,299 in the UK, while the MacBook Air 15 has moved from $1,299 to $1,499.
The MacBook Pro M5 has increased from $1,699 to $1,999, with the UK price moving from £1,699 to £1,999. Higher-end desktop products have also been affected, with the Mac Studio M3 Ultra reportedly rising from $3,999 to $5,299.
Apple’s iPad range has also seen increases. The standard iPad has moved from $349 to $449 in the US, while UK pricing has risen from £329 to £429. The iPad Air 11 has increased from $599 to $749, and the iPad Pro 11 has gone from $999 to $1,199.
Other affected products include the Apple TV 4K, which has risen from $129 to $199 in the US and from £149 to £199 in the UK. The HomePod mini has moved from $99 to $129, while Vision Pro has increased from $3,499 to $3,699 in the US and from £3,199 to £3,499 in the UK.
Apple told TechRadar: “The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today’s increases for iPad and Mac. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.”