Apple has increased the prices of several iPad and MacBook models, citing rising costs of memory and storage chips caused by growing demand from the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
The price hike does not affect iPhones, Apple’s biggest source of revenue. However, the company’s entry-level Neo laptop will now start at $699 instead of $599, only months after its release, making it less competitive against lower-cost Windows and Chromebook devices.
The higher prices reflect increasing pressure on electronics manufacturers as memory chip suppliers focus on meeting demand from AI companies building large data centers.
This shift has reduced chip availability for smartphone and computer makers, forcing many to pass the added costs on to consumers.
Among the revised prices, the MacBook Air with 512GB of storage now costs $1,299, up from $1,099, while the MacBook Pro with 1TB of storage has risen to $1,999 from $1,699.
The iPad Air with 128GB of storage has also increased from $599 to $749. Industry analysts believe Apple could introduce higher iPhone prices later this year as component costs continue to rise.
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