Apple raised prices worldwide on its entire Mac lineup and several iPad models on June 25, 2026, citing surging memory and storage chip costs, sending Asian semiconductor stocks lower on concern that component inflation will dampen device demand.
June 25, 2026 · Apple
AI's chip hunger reaches your checkout
Apple raised Mac and iPad prices — some by over $200 — blaming an unprecedented surge in memory-chip costs. CEO Tim Cook calls it a "100-year flood," the first clear case of AI-driven scarcity hitting everyday device prices.
~4×
Memory-chip prices over the past year
−8.2%
KOSPI fall — trading was halted
+20%
Expected 2026 rise in global avg. smartphone price
The price jump, drawn to scale
New price · each block = $250 · orange caps the added cost
How AI demand reaches your wallet
AI data-center boom
→
Memory makers reprioritize
→
Consumer chips squeezed
Tim Cook on the squeeze
"The situation has become unsustainable" — an "unavoidable," once-in-a-"100-year flood" of component costs.
2×+
Average RAM selling price since Oct 2025
~$150
Expected iPhone 18 increase (Sept) — not yet confirmed
Not alone
Microsoft raised Surface prices in April
Why the market sold off
Memory stocks that had surged on AI demand pulled back across Asia — Japan and Taiwan indices fell too. Investors fear higher device prices will cool demand and eventually cut memory orders. Apple's margins are expected to dip slightly through June 2026, and how long the squeeze lasts is now the key question.
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