June 25, 2026. The American corporation Apple today announced a significant increase in the recommended retail prices for its iPad tablet and MacBook laptop lines. This decision was a forced measure against the backdrop of an unprecedented global shortage of high-speed memory and a sharp increase in production costs, triggered by the rapid development of AI technologies.

 According to Apple's official statement, the prices of current device models will increase by an average of 10-15%, depending on the region and configuration. The changes will take effect immediately in all key markets, including the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Reason: AI fever and the battle for silicon
Industry analysts note that the main reason for the price increase is the acute shortage of RAM (LPDDR6) and high-capacity NAND drives. These components have become critical for the operation of local neural networks, which Apple is actively introducing into its ecosystem as part of the Apple Intelligence platform.

"The global semiconductor market is currently experiencing a 'perfect storm,'" says Mark Gurman, a leading analyst in the technology sector. "Leading tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, and Apple itself, are aggressively competing for advanced memory chips to train and run AI models. Suppliers' production capacities are overloaded, and even as the largest customer, Apple is forced to pay significantly more for access to scarce components."

 New demands mean new costs
The price increase is also due to the fact that in order to make modern AI features work smoothly on Apple devices, the minimum amount of RAM in the base models had to be increased. This led to an increase in the cost of each device.

 "We are committed to providing users with the best AI experience, which requires powerful hardware," Apple said in a statement. "Our investment in deep neural integration requires the use of the most advanced components, which are currently limited in availability."

Market Response
Investors have reacted to the news with restraint, with Apple (AAPL) shares showing a slight decline in the pre-market, as the market fears that higher prices could slow down demand amid global economic instability. However, many experts believe that loyal brand users, accustomed to the integration of hardware and software, will accept the new price realities as inevitable.

Customers who were planning to purchase an iPad Pro or MacBook Air will face a new reality today, as the price updates have been completed in the Apple Store online store and through authorized resellers worldwide.

 Industry observers predict that the memory shortage could last until at least the end of 2026, which raises questions about the future pricing strategies of other laptop and smartphone manufacturers, who are likely to follow Apple's lead in the coming months.