🍎 Apple Hikes Mac & iPad Prices — ‘AI Memory Crunch’ Pushes Macs Up to 20%, iPads to 25%

On June 25, 2026 (local time), Apple raised prices across its entire Mac and iPad lineup worldwide. The cause is a surge in memory and storage prices triggered by the rapid expansion of AI data centers — a so-called “memory crunch” — with hikes of roughly 15–20% on Macs and 15–25% on iPads. For a company that had long absorbed rising component costs itself, raising prices is an unusual move.

TL;DR

On June 25, Apple raised Mac and iPad prices across the board (Macs 15–20%, iPads 15–25%). The iPhone was left unchanged.
The driver is soaring DRAM and NAND prices amid surging AI data center demand — a “memory crunch.” CEO Tim Cook called the situation unprecedented.
Apple shares dropped more than 6% on the day, its worst single session in over a year.

What happened?

Apple briefly took its online store offline, then raised Mac and iPad prices all at once. According to Financial News (파이낸셜뉴스), Apple suspended its online store on the 25th (local time) before raising Mac and iPad prices simultaneously; it held iPhone prices steady this time but left the door open to further increases. Given that Apple barely touched its main product prices even during the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S.–China tariff tensions, this increase signals just how severe the cost pressure has become.

How much did prices rise?

Macs rose about 15–20% and iPads about 15–25%. Confirmed examples, based on U.S. dollar list prices, are as follows.

MacBook Neo (base): $599 → $699
MacBook Air 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

Home devices such as the Apple TV and the Vision Pro also went up. The iPhone, by contrast, was excluded from this round of increases.

Why did Apple raise prices?

The core reason is a spike in memory and storage prices set off by the AI data center investment boom. In a statement, Apple said “the rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage,” adding that it had “never experienced component prices rising this fast and this sharply.” CEO Tim Cook had also signaled last week that “memory and storage costs have risen to unsustainable levels, making price increases unavoidable.”

The underlying numbers are no small matter. According to research firm TechInsights, aggressive investment by AI hyperscalers has driven DRAM and NAND prices up nearly fourfold over the past year. Because memory is a core component in nearly every electronic device — smartphones, PCs, cars and more — the price increases are spreading across consumer IT hardware broadly. On the other side of the same trend, memory makers such as Micron posted record results, with gross margins topping 80%. Micron’s management expects the supply shortage to persist beyond 2027.

What about prices in Korea?

Prices at Apple’s Korean store rose within the same range (Macs 15–20%, iPads 15–25%). That said, won prices vary by exchange rate and by model and capacity, so the most reliable way to check exact figures is the official Apple Korea store. Some reports noted a case in which the local price of the Mac mini rose from around 890,000 won early this year to about 1,349,000 won — but keep in mind this reflects cumulative changes since the start of the year, not just June’s increase. If you’re considering a purchase, it’s worth comparing the official price against resellers and channels still holding pre-hike inventory.

How did the market react?

Investors reacted sharply, viewing the price increases as a potential drag on demand. Apple shares fell more than 6% on the day of the announcement — its worst single session in over a year — wiping out roughly $265 billion in market value. The concern was twofold: raising prices protects margins, but it can also dent unit sales. With expectations that the memory crunch won’t ease quickly, upward price pressure across the consumer electronics industry is likely to persist for some time.

The bottom line

This episode is the most symbolic illustration yet of the chain reaction running from “AI infrastructure investment → surging memory demand → spiking component costs → higher finished-product prices.” The fact that even Apple — which had absorbed cost pressure through its enormous purchasing power — has thrown in the towel suggests that price increases across IT hardware, from laptops to tablets, may not be a temporary phenomenon. Three points are worth watching: whether and when the frozen iPhone gets a price increase, industry forecasts on whether the memory shortage extends beyond 2027, and how rivals such as Samsung and Google respond on pricing. If you’re planning to buy, check the exact official Korean price at the Apple Korea store, and consider seeking out pre-hike inventory if needed.

※ This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.

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