Why is Apple raising prices on everything right now?

In the space of about three weeks, Apple has raised prices on laptops, tablets, iPhones in one major market, its extended warranty plan, and its music subscription. There's no single moment to point to, just a steady climb across nearly the entire product line.

This trend began on June 25 when Apple increased prices in their Mac and iPad lineups. The entry-level MacBook Neo saw an increase of $100 to $699, the 13-inch MacBook Air received a $200 increase to $1,299, and the basic iPad saw a $100 price hike to $449.

Also in the list of affected models are the MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad mini, Mac mini, iMac, Mac Studio, Apple TV 4K, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro.

Apple cited unprecedented price hikes for memory and storage; according to the company’s CEO, Tim Cook, the pressure was due to more memory use by AI data centres.

Even Apple’s refurbished products are impacted by the increased prices. One can currently purchase a refurbished 256 GB MacBook Air at $599, the same price the basic version was sold at prior to the increase.

iPhones in Japan cost more too

The prices of iPhones in Japan increased by 8% to 11% or ¥8,000 to ¥20,000 based on the device's model. Apple provided no rationale for the price hikes; however, it may be attributed to the weakening of the yen against the dollar. U.S. iPhone prices remain unchanged despite the expected pricing hike in Apple's autumn line of products.

All new subscription plans for existing Macs and iPads were increased by 50 cents per month ($5 per year). However, customers with current subscriptions retained their previous prices, and the cost of AppleCare One remained unchanged at $19.99 per month.

On Friday, Apple increased its Apple Music individual price from $9.99 to $11.99 per month due to increasing costs of licensing. Family and Premier levels of Apple One became more expensive by $2 while the individual level did not change.