Apple products are expensive, and they always have been. That's no secret. But some of them just got a lot more expensive: On Thursday morning, Apple announced a series of price hikes on key products in its lineup, affecting Macs and MacBooks, iPads, Apple TVs, HomePods, and Vision Pro. If you're in the market for a new Apple laptop or tablet, that market just got a good deal pricier.
Which Apple products are now more expensive?
Visit Apple's official website, or the Apple Store in person, and it won't look like anything's different. But if you compare today's prices on the following items to yesterday's, you'll notice some seismic changes:
MacBook Neo: $699 (previously $599)
MacBook Air (13-inch): $1,299 (previously $1,099)
MacBook Air (15-inch): $1,499 (previously $1,299)
MacBook Pro (M5): $1,999 (previously $1,699)
MacBook Pro (M5 Pro): $2,499 (previously $2,199)
MacBook Pro (M5 Max): $4,099 (previously $3,599)
iMac: $1,499 (previously $1,299)
Mac Studio (M4 Max): $2,499 (previously $1,999)
Mac Studio (M3 Ultra): $5,299 (previously $3,999)
iPad (A16): $449 (previously $349)
iPad Air (11-inch): $749 (previously $599)
iPad Air (13-inch): $949 (previously $749)
iPad Pro (11-inch): $1,199 (previously $999)
iPad Pro (13-inch): $1,499 (previously $1,299)
iPad mini: $599 (previously $499)
Apple TV 4K: $199 (previously $129)
HomePod: $349 (previously $299)
HomePod mini: $129 (previously $99)
Vision Pro: $3,699 (previously $3,499)
These are not small increases. Macs cost anywhere from $200 to $500 more on Thursday than they did on Wednesday; while iPads are $100 to $200 more. Perhaps most strikingly, the Apple TV is $70 more, which represents a 54% increase. While Apple's streaming device is among the best (and certainly the most private) on the market, it is now one of, if not the most expensive option. I'm not sure how many people will choose it at $199 when plenty of alternatives exist for a fraction of the cost.
The increases themselves are not a surprise, however. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook announced last week that the company was being forced to raise prices, as the global memory crisis is putting a strain on the cost of components and products everywhere. Still, I'm don't think anyone predicted how sharply Apple would boost prices. It's a sign of the scope of the crisis, and a look at what Apple thinks it needs to do to keep growing its profits. (The company is now worth $4.3 trillion.)
You can still get Apple devices on sale from Amazon during Prime Day
While this news is rough for anyone looking for a new Apple device (particularly one of the devices listed above), there is a silver lining: This week is Amazon Prime Day, and as luck would have it, a number of the devices affected by the price increases are actually on sale.
What do you think so far?
Not every item affected by the increases can be found at a discount—some are just available at the previous MSRP, but all of the following items are much cheaper on Amazon than at Apple right now:
MacBook Neo: $589.99 (compared to $699 direct from Apple)
MacBook Air (13-inch): $949 (compared to $1,299)
MacBook Air (15-inch): $1,149.99 (compared to $1,499)
MacBook Pro (M5): $1,549 (compared to $1,999)
MacBook Pro (M5 Pro): $2,034 (compared to $2,499)
MacBook Pro (M5 Max): $3,299.99 (compared to $4,099)
iMac: $1,149 (compared to $1,499)
iPad (A16): $299 (compared to $449)
iPad Air (11-inch): $519 (compared to $749)
Apple TV 4K (64GB renewed): $154 (compared to $199)
HomePod: $299 (previously $349)
Now that Apple has officially changed the prices of these items, their price tags on Amazon are likely to increase soon as well. As such, if you're interested in any of them, I'd encourage you to buy sooner rather than later. As today's hikes proved, there's no telling when they might cost even more.
