Apple and Microsoft lift hardware prices as AI drives memory and storage costs higher

Apple, Microsoft and other major tech companies are raising prices on hardware, citing higher memory and storage component costs tied to the buildout of AI. Microsoft said console storage and memory prices have risen by more than 2.5x and it expects another doubling by the fall of 2027. Apple has increased prices across MacBook and iPad models by hundreds of dollars, Microsoft has lifted Xbox prices, and Google’s Pixel 11 is also facing upward pressure. The moves reflect industry-wide cost pass-through rather than a single-company shift, as AI infrastructure spending squeezes room for consumer-device pricing and could weigh on demand.