Apple Hikes MacBook Neo to $699, iPad Air to $749 on Memory Cost Surge
AAPL•Apple raised MacBook Neo base price from $599 to $699, MacBook Air 512GB from $1,099 to $1,299, MacBook Pro 1TB from $1,699 to $1,999 and iPad Air 128GB from $599 to $749 due to surging AI-driven memory costs. Shares fell 5.6% to $276.68 following the announcement.
1. Price Hikes Across Key Models
Apple increased prices on multiple Mac and iPad models, with MacBook Neo rising from $599 to $699, MacBook Air 512GB from $1,099 to $1,299, MacBook Pro 1TB from $1,699 to $1,999 and iPad Air 128GB from $599 to $749, marking the first major adjustments this year.
2. Immediate Market Reaction
Shares dropped 5.6% to close at $276.68 as investors weighed the potential dampening effect on consumer demand and margin pressures resulting from the higher retail prices.
3. Drivers and Outlook
Rapid growth in AI data centers has driven memory and storage costs sharply higher, prompting component suppliers to raise prices by up to 50% quarterly, and forecasts indicate elevated chip costs could persist into 2027, suggesting further consumer price adjustments may follow.
