Apple hikes Mac and iPad prices up to $1,300 amid memory chip crisis

Apple ↘ 1.23% on Thursday raised prices across its Mac and iPad lineups, with increases of $100 to $300 per device, as the company moves to pass on surging memory and storage chip costs to consumers for the first time in years.

The price adjustments, which went live on Apple's online store after a brief takedown earlier in the day, mark the most sweeping consumer-facing price hike in Apple's recent history. The entry-level MacBook Neo jumped from $599 to $699, the M5 MacBook Pro rose from $1,699 to $1,999, the 11-inch iPad Air climbed $150 to $749, the Mac Studio with M4 Max increased from $1,999 to $2,499, and the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra surged from $3,999 to $5,299, according to MacRumors and Macworld.macrumors+1

Bloomberg reported that the MacBook Air also saw its price rise from $1,099 to $1,299.bloomberg

A "Hundred-Year Flood"

The increases follow a warning issued last week by outgoing CEO Tim Cook in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Cook described the global memory chip shortage as a "hundred-year flood" and said price hikes had become "unavoidable".reuters+2

"We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable," Cook told the Journal.abcnews+1

The shortage stems from explosive demand for DRAM and NAND flash storage from AI data centers, which has redirected the output of leading memory manufacturers — Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology ↘ 5.30% — toward higher-margin enterprise components. According to the BBC, the price of RAM has more than doubled since October 2025, with disruptions to the global helium supply from the war in Iran further compounding semiconductor production costs.bbc+1

More Increases Expected

Apple had historically absorbed component cost increases rather than passing them to consumers, making Thursday's move a notable departure. Analysts warn more is likely to come. Morgan Stanley's research team noted that memory prices have risen more than sixfold over the past year, and projected a 15 percent shortfall in chips for PC makers in 2027.abcnews+1

The iPhone lineup has so far been spared, though TechInsights estimates the iPhone 18 Pro could see a price increase of at least $200 when it launches in September, potentially bringing the device to around $1,299. JP Morgan has offered a more conservative estimate of a $50 bump.forbes+2

The timing of the increases — coinciding with Amazon's Prime Day sale — has given some consumers a final window to purchase Apple products at previous prices.the-gadgeteer+1