Business voices react to Apple and Xbox price hikes

Apple and Microsoft's Xbox raised prices on the same day as an AI-driven global shortage of memory and storage chips pushed costs across the electronics industry. Apple said it would increase prices on some MacBooks and iPads by up to 20% worldwide, and Xbox announced a console price rise of up to $150 from August.

Analysts argued the moves show the race to build AI infrastructure is beginning to hit consumers' wallets. Dan Ives wrote that rising memory costs forced Apple to raise prices but that the company can do so without large customer churn given its focus on higher-end buyers.

Daniel Ahmed noted Xbox said storage and memory prices have more than doubled and could double again by fall of 2027, and he predicted a Switch 2 price increase in 2027. Nabila Popal called the MacBook hikes larger than expected and suggested they could make likely $100–$200 iPhone increases seem more reasonable, adding that the days of $50 price bumps may be over.

apple, xbox, macbooks, ipads, memory chips, storage chips, ai shortage, price hikes, switch 2, dan ives