Apple raises Mac, iPad prices by up to 25% amid surging memory chip costs

Apple raised the prices of its Mac and iPad lineups by between 15% and 25% on Thursday, according to a report by Wall Street Journal.

This is coming a week after CEO Tim Cook warned that soaring memory and storage chip costs would force the company to act.

WSJ reports that the company briefly took down its Apple Online Store early Thursday morning, a move it typically makes when announcing new products or pricing changes.

When the store came back online, Mac prices had risen roughly 15% to 20%, and iPad prices had increased between 15% and 25%.

iPhone prices remained unchanged, though Apple’s statement hinted that further price increases across its product line may follow.

What Apple is saying

CNBC reports that Apple attributed the price increases to an unprecedented surge in global demand for memory and storage components, driven largely by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.

• “The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centres has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage,” Apple said in a statement cited by CNBC.
• “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” the company added, according to CNBC.
• “We have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices,” Apple also said.

More insights

WSJ reports that the price increases touched several flagship products across Apple’s Mac and iPad lineups.

• The base MacBook Air rose by $200 to $1,299, while the base MacBook Pro increased by $300 to $1,999. The entry-level MacBook Neo rose by $100 to $699.
• On the iPad side, the iPad Air increased by $150 to $749, while the iPad Pro rose by $200 to $1,199.
• According to research firm TechInsights, prices for DRAM memory chips and NAND storage chips have both quadrupled over the past 12 months, driven by surging demand from AI hyperscalers building out data centre capacity. The firm projects prices will continue rising into next year.

Memory and storage chips are critical components found inside smartphones, PCs, game consoles, cars and a wide range of other consumer electronics, many of which have already experienced steep price increases as manufacturers pass on rising component costs to consumers.

What you should know

Nairametrics earlier reported that Apple became the world’s leading smartphone vendor in 2025 as global smartphone shipments recorded a 2% year-on-year increase, marking the second consecutive year of market growth.

According to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor, Apple displaced Samsung from the top position after the South Korean tech giant led the global smartphone market in 2024.

The report showed that Apple not only maintained its leadership position but also posted the strongest growth among the world’s top five smartphone brands, driven by sustained demand for premium devices and increasing traction in emerging markets.