Breaking

Apple, Microsoft Raise Prices on Memory Crunch; Xbox Up to $150 More

June 26, 2026 at 04:38 EDT

Infra & Chips
Sales & Business

Apple and Microsoft announced successive price increases on flagship products on June 25–26, 2026, citing surging memory and storage chip costs driven by the spread of generative AI. Apple is raising some MacBook and iPad models by up to 25%, while Microsoft is hiking Xbox consoles by as much as US$150.

June 25, 2026 · Apple & Xbox

AI's Memory Hunger Lands on Your Wallet

Data-center demand for memory chips has spilled into consumer electronics. Apple raised Mac and iPad prices effective immediately; hours later, Microsoft announced a global Xbox console hike from August 1. Both blamed competition for AI-bound parts.

18–33%

price jump on some Mac & iPad models

+$300

increase at the high end (MacBook Pro)

−6%

Apple shares fell, steepest drop in over a year

AI's share of global memory supply

Data-center demand has more than doubled its grip on chip supply in four years.

~25%

2022

~70%

2026

What it now costs

MacBook Neo

$599

→

$699

MacBook Air 13" 512GB

$1,099

→

$1,299

MacBook Pro 1TB

$1,699

→

$1,999

iPad Air 128GB

$599

→

$749

iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256GB

$999

→

$1,199

iPhone left unchanged · iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio also affected.

Xbox · effective August 1

"Console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5×, and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027."

+$100

512GB model

+$150

1TB model

2TB

discontinued

Follows a $20–$70 increase in Oct 2025 — consoles sell on thin margins, often below cost, so the spike could not be absorbed.

The optimistic view

Inflationary pressure is short-term; productivity gains from AI could become a deflationary force over time. Both firms paired hikes with refurbished units and trade-in programs.

The concern

AI data-center demand is now reaching consumer hardware. Pricier entry models reduce accessibility — a sign that AI's costs have finally reached the general public.

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