Apple Increases Prices on MacBook and iPad Models Amidst Chip Shortage
The technology giant attributes the price hikes to a surge in demand for memory chips.
Apple has raised prices on several MacBook and iPad models, citing an "AI-driven surge in demand for memory chips" as the reason for the increases. The company's website experienced a brief outage on Thursday before reappearing with updated pricing.
The price adjustments have resulted in hikes of up to $300 on affected products. For instance, the entry-level MacBook Neo now starts at $699, an increase from its previous $599 price. The MacBook Air 512GB saw its price climb from $1,099 to $1,299, and the MacBook Pro 1TB increased from $1,699 to $1,999.
Similar adjustments were made to iPad models. The iPad Air 128GB is now priced at $749, up from $599, and the iPad Pro Wifi 256GB has been increased to $1,199 from $999.
Earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook had foreshadowed these price increases. "Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," Cook told The Wall Street Journal. He added that the company was doing its best to mitigate significant cost increases passed on to them and had been attempting to shield customers, but the situation had become unsustainable.