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Apple today raised prices on many of its products, including all Macs and iPads, as well as the Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro. We shared a list of the price increases , which range from $30 for the HomePod mini to up to $1,300 for the Mac Studio. iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods prices have not changed, at least for now. In a statement shared with MacRumors , Apple said it raised prices because of the ongoing memory chip shortage, resulting from companies building out data centers with powerful AI servers. The supply-demand imbalance has led to skyrocketing prices for RAM and SSD storage chips used in a wide range of Apple products. Apple's full statement: The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but 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. We know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said price increases were " unavoidable ." Apple indicating that it needs to "begin" raising prices suggests that additional price increases might occur later. On the other hand, Apple noting that it is "working tirelessly to find solutions" suggests that prices might eventually come down again. Apple is far from the only tech company that has raised prices in response to the memory chip shortage, with others including Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell, and more. Memory chip supplier Micron expects the shortage to last through 2027, so elevated prices could be the norm for another year and a half or longer. This article, " Apple Explains Why It Raised Prices on These 14 Products Today " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple is changing its Apple silicon launch timeline to speed up the debut of chips designed for artificial intelligence workloads, reports Bloomberg . Apple plans to release an M6 chip for entry-level Macs as soon as this year, but it has canceled plans for higher-end M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. Instead, Apple's next Pro and Max chips will be part of its M7 chip lineup, with the first M7 chips launching in 2027. An M5 Ultra chip could also come as soon as this year. M5 Ultra - Late 2026 M6 - Late 2026 M7 - First half of 2027 M7 Pro - End of 2027 M7 Max - End of 2027 M7 Ultra - 2028 Apple is speeding up development on M7 chips because they have technologies supporting on-device AI and GPU-intensive software. Since the launch of the first Apple silicon chips, Apple has always had at least three variants, including the base M-series chip, a Pro version, and a Max version. The M6 will mark the first time that Apple is not coming out with a Pro or Max chip for the line. Apple could update the entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip as soon as this year. It is expected to have around 200GB/s memory bandwidth for better graphics and faster AI processing and video editing. The base M5 chip has 153GB/s memory bandwidth, and the base M7 chip could have 240GB/s bandwidth. Bloomberg says the M6 will also include an updated memory architecture and an upgraded Neural Engine, along with performance improvements across all of the processor cores and a redesigned GPU with up to 12 cores. Prior rumors have suggested the M6 will be the first built on Apple's new 2-nanometer process. The base M6 could also be used in the entry-level Mac mini and iMac , along with upcoming iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models and higher-end ‌Mac mini‌ will use the M7 Pro and M7 Max. The Mac Studio will use the M7 Max and M7 Ultra. Bloomberg says Apple still plans to release an M5 Ultra for a refreshed version of the ‌Mac Studio‌ as soon as this year. The M5 Ultra will have approximately 36 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores. An M5 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ could have as much as 768GB of unified memory. Apple is working on a high-end "MacBook Ultra" with an OLED display and a touchscreen, and rumors suggested it could come as soon as late 2026. That seems unlikely now with the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips slated for late 2027, unless Apple equips the high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ with an M6, the M5 Max, or the M5 Ultra chip. News of Apple's updated chip launch timeline comes just after the company raised prices across all of its Macs and iPads . Related Roundups: Mac Studio , MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide: Mac Studio (Don't Buy) , MacBook Pro (Buy Now) Related Forums: Mac Studio , MacBook Pro This article, " 2027 Macs to Get AI-Focused M7 Chips as Apple Skips High-End M6 " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple's annual Back to School promotion will return by next week, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman . Last year, college students and educational staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad model. It is unclear what Apple plans to offer this year, but given the company has just raised prices on all Macs and iPads , this year's Back to School promotion will be rather bittersweet. This article, " Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer Expected to Begin by Next Week " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
While the Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini have not been updated in several years, all three products received price increases worldwide today. Here is a summary of the price changes for these products in the United States: Apple TV (Wi-Fi) : $129 → $199 Apple TV (Wi-Fi + Ethernet) : $149 → $249 HomePod : $299 → $349 HomePod mini : $99 → $129 Apple also raised prices on Macs, iPads, and more , with the company blaming the ongoing memory chip shortage, which has resulted in skyrocketing prices for RAM and SSD storage used in its products. "We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly," said Apple, in a statement shared with the media. The price increases come amid a long wait for new Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini models. All three devices are expected to be updated later this year with support for the more personal and intelligent version of Siri, which is currently available to test across the iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and visionOS 27 developer betas. The trio of devices are between three and six years old. Apple unveiled the HomePod mini all the way back in October 2020, while the current Apple TV and HomePod models debuted in October 2022 and January 2023, respectively. The current Apple TV 4K has an A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 series, while the HomePod mini uses the S5 chip from the Apple Watch Series 5, and the second-generation full-sized HomePod uses the S7 chip from the Apple Watch Series 7. Earlier rumors claimed the next Apple TV would be equipped with the A17 Pro chip , which is the oldest chip that supports Apple Intelligence. The device is also expected to feature Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. No major design changes have been rumored for the next Apple TV. Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman was told that the Apple TV's Siri Remote may be "refreshed" in some form , but he did not provide any specific details or guarantee that there will be any outward-facing design changes to the accessory. As for the HomePod mini, it is expected to use an Apple Watch's S9 chip or newer. Other previously-rumored features for the speaker include the N1 chip, improved sound quality, a newer Ultra Wideband chip, and a red color option . Apple is also expected to release an all-new smart home hub as early as this year. Related Roundups: Apple TV , HomePod , HomePod mini Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy) , HomePod (Caution) , HomePod Mini (Don't Buy) Related Forums: Apple TV and Home Theater , HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology This article, " Apple TV and HomePod Just Went Up in Price Amid Wait for New Models " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
