Apple has increased prices of some MacBooks, iPads and HomePods. The price bumps apparently exclude iPhones.

The news comes midway through a week of big retailer sales, like Amazon's summer Prime Day event, and just ahead of back-to-school shopping season. That could make life challenging for shoppers seeking deals on Apple devices. 

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the price increases. On Thursday morning, Apple's online store was down briefly, and when it came back online, prices had jumped up. The Journal reported increases on the base models of the MacBook Air, MacBook Neo, MacBook Pro, iPad Air and iPad Pro. We're also seeing price increases on some HomePods. 

In a statement to CNET, Apple confirmed the higher prices, blaming a surge in demand for memory and storage, driven by the rapid expansion of AI data centers. 

"We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly," Apple said in the statement. "We have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today's increases for iPad and Mac."

Last week, Apple CEO Time Cook told the Wall Street Journal that the RAM shortage -- also known as RAMageddon -- would make price increases "unavoidable."