Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices amid rising AI-related costs

Apple announced on Thursday that it would increase prices for its MacBook computers, iPad tablets, and other items, attributing the rise to escalating memory and storage costs driven by artificial intelligence.

These price increases, the first tangible action following outgoing CEO Tim Cook’s repeated warnings about rising costs, caused Apple shares to fall over 4.7 percent in early trading.

On its U.S. website, the hikes span $30 to $300. The 14‑inch MacBook Pro, previously priced at $1,700, now costs $2,000, and the iPad Air rose from $600 to $750.

The Apple TV streaming device increased from $130 to $200.

At present, the iPhone price, the company’s primary revenue driver, has not changed.

An Apple spokesperson told several media outlets that “The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage.”

The spokesperson added, “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”

Apple did not immediately reply to AFP’s request for comment.

The Cupertino, California‑based technology company, which recorded an all‑time revenue of $416 billion last fiscal year, said it had “shielded our customers from these increases so far” but can no longer maintain that protection.

Last week, Cook explained to The Wall Street Journal that price hikes were “unavoidable.”

Cook noted, “There’s less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases,” calling the price surge a “hundred‑year flood.”

The swift expansion of AI data centers has driven memory chip and RAM prices upward, as these components are integral to almost all electronic devices. Since late 2025, such chips have experienced quarterly price hikes of at least 50 percent.

John Ternus will take on the task of managing the fallout when he succeeds Cook as CEO on September 1, just days before the launch of the new iPhone generation.

AFP