Apple Raises MacBook and iPad Prices as AI Boom Drives Up Memory Costs

Apple has raised prices across nearly its entire MacBook and iPad lineup, blaming the move on rising costs for memory components. The company is calling the phenomenon chipflation, inflation driven by the investment boom around artificial intelligence that is soaking up the world's supply of DRAM and NAND memory for data centers.

The price hikes took effect on Thursday and hit two of Apple's main product categories at once, which the Financial Times says makes them among the broadest in the company's history. Mac prices rose globally by 15 to 20 percent, and iPad prices by 15 to 25 percent, depending on the model and memory configuration.

Where Chipflation Comes From

Behind the price surge is unprecedented demand for memory from companies building AI infrastructure. Google, Meta and Amazon are ordering DRAM and NAND flash from memory makers in volumes needed to power training and inference servers, pulling production away from the consumer segment. Over the past twelve months, prices for these chips have risen four to six times over.

Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung, the world's three largest memory makers, have retooled their production lines to prioritize contracts with hyperscalers building AI data centers. The effect shows up in their financial results: Micron's quarterly profit rose fifteenfold, with gross margin reaching 80 percent, a level unheard of before in the industry.

What It Means for Hardware Makers

For Apple and other consumer electronics makers, the problem is only just getting started. Analysts estimate that memory's share of a MacBook's material costs could rise from the current 10-15 percent to as much as 45 percent by 2027 if the shortage persists. Apple has not yet raised iPhone prices, but experts cited by trade media expect similar moves in the coming months as stockpiles negotiated at older prices run out.

Chipflation doesn't stop at data centers, its costs are starting to bleed into consumer electronics, which means customers buying new computers or tablets are increasingly footing the bill for the AI boom - commentary cited by rp.pl, based on Financial Times analysis

Ripple Effects on Gamers and Budget Hardware

The price increases are also hitting outside Apple's own lineup. The gaming PC market is one casualty of the shortage, with analysts estimating that as many as 60 percent of PC gamers could hold off on buying a new rig over the next two years because of pricier RAM modules. Makers of budget and midrange laptops face a dilemma similar to Apple's, but with thinner margins to absorb the rising costs.

Outlook for the Polish Market

For Polish consumers and businesses buying computer hardware, this translates into real price increases in stores, since global manufacturer hikes flow directly into local distributors' price lists. Companies planning to refresh their laptop fleets or buy tablets for employees should assume that reference prices from the first half of 2026 no longer apply, with the memory shortage expected to persist at least until 2027.

The price pressure is also hitting the server and cloud segment used by Polish companies deploying their own AI models or relying on cloud services billed in dollars or euros. Rising hardware costs on the infrastructure providers' side tend to feed through, with a lag but inevitably, into the prices of cloud services and AI subscriptions offered on the European market.

Sources: Apple Sharply Raises Prices, MacBooks and iPads Get More Expensive, All Because of AI (cyfrowa.rp.pl)