In 30 seconds
In this June 2026 short, Matthew Berman says higher memory prices have reached Apple products and advises prospective laptop buyers to wait. The price changes were real, although his $150 iPad figure fits the iPad Air rather than the entry-level iPad.
- 1MacBook Pro price increaseThe U.S. 1 TB MacBook Pro starting price rose from $1,699 to $1,999 in June 2026.
- 2Which iPad?Berman cites a $150 increase without naming the model. The iPad Air rose by $150; the entry-level iPad rose by $100.
- 3Memory demandBerman links higher prices to demand from AI infrastructure, a factor Apple also cited when announcing the increases.
Takeaways
- In June 2026, Apple raised the U.S. starting price of the 1 TB MacBook Pro by $300, from $1,699 to $1,999.
- The $150 increase applied to the iPad Air; the entry-level iPad increased by $100.
- Apple attributed the increases to higher memory and storage costs amid demand associated with AI data centers.
- Berman’s advice to wait reflects his judgment at the time, not a prediction of future prices.
Read the edited text by chapter
Apple prices and memory demand
Berman highlights price increases for the MacBook Pro and iPad and advises waiting before buying a laptop. He attributes the change to higher memory prices and shows a historical chart.
The base MacBook Pro is up $300, and I cite a $150 increase for an iPad. I think anyone about to buy an Apple laptop should wait. For context, in the June 25, 2026 U.S. price change, the 1 TB MacBook Pro went from $1,699 to $1,999. The $150 increase was for the iPad Air, from $599 to $749; the entry-level iPad rose $100, from $349 to $449. These are historical prices, and my recommendation to wait is a judgment made at the time.
I see the AI boom affecting Apple prices because demand for memory has pushed costs up. Apple likewise attributed the increases to extraordinary demand for memory and storage associated with AI data centers, though the supply chain is more complex than AI consuming all memory. I show a chart of selected DDR4 8 GB module cost-equivalent snapshots; it illustrates that series, not the exact component cost of an Apple device.
The chart shows memory prices rising sharply over time. It is a historical illustration rather than a forecast of what a laptop will cost later.
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