Apple has announced an Apple MacBook and iPad price increase, raising the cost of several models as the company faces higher component expenses driven by demand from the AI industry.
In a statement, the company said, “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.”
Among the changes, the entry-level MacBook Neo has increased from $599 to $699. The MacBook Air with 512GB of storage now costs $1,299, up from $1,099, while the 1TB MacBook Pro has risen from $1,699 to $1,999.
Apple has also raised iPad prices. The iPad Air with 128GB of storage has increased from $599 to $749, while the Wi-Fi version of the iPad Pro with 256GB of storage now costs $1,199 instead of $999.
The company indicated that additional price increases could follow, stating that it has “reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products.”
Apple acknowledged that the changes will be unpopular, adding, “We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions.”
