Apple hikes Mac and iPad prices amid soaring chip costs

Apple connected Thursday said it is raising prices connected MacBooks and iPads, blaming AI-driven request for representation and retention that has sharply accrued constituent costs.

"We person ne'er seen a constituent terms summation this much, this quickly," the institution said successful a connection shared with CBS News. "We person shielded our customers from these increases truthful far, but we person present reached a constituent wherever we request to statesman raising prices connected a fig of products, including today's increases for iPad and Mac."

The terms hikes are impacting aggregate Apple products, according to The Verge. The MacBook Neo, which Apple introduced earlier this twelvemonth to entreaty to budget-conscious customers astatine a starting terms of $599, has accrued to $699. 

Other changes include:

• MacBook Air 512GB: Now $1,299, up from $1,099
• MacBook Pro 1T: Now $1,999, up from $1699
• iPad Air 128GB: Now $749, up from $599

The terms hikes don't see the iPhone, Apple's halfway product, according to Reuters. 

"If consumers are psychologically prepared for higher prices, it won't interaction sales," Nabila Popal, elder manager of information and analytics astatine International Data Corporation, a marketplace quality and advisory firm, told CBS News successful an email.

Apple shares tumbled aft the company's announcement, falling $16.49, oregon 5.6%, to $276.68, successful midafternoon trading.

AI roar drives up spot costs

The accelerated enlargement of AI information centers has heightened request for computing power, exacerbating a spot shortage. 

In December, the International Data Corporation said the representation marketplace is astatine an "unprecedented inflection point" and predicted the spot shortage could past "well into 2027."

The shortage has had a knock-on effect connected mundane tech, including personal computers, which are seeing higher prices for the archetypal clip successful decades.

In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal connected June 17, Chief Executive Tim Cook said the institution is doing its champion to shield customers from terms hikes but said, "the concern has go unsustainable."

"I've ne'er seen thing similar it successful immoderate country successful implicit 40 years," helium told the Journal.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

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