From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.ipad


As predicted, Apple has announced increased pricing for their new and refurbished devices (except for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods,
yet!). Apple of course isn't the only one increasing prices - among
others, Microlsoth announced new prices for their Xbox range as well.

BUT why has Apple increased the price of RAM upgrades?? Apple does not
use RAM chips - the RAM is built into the Apple Silicon chip! SSD
storage drive prices I can understand since they basically use RAM
chips, but RAM upgrade prices is just being greedy. X-(


Prices below are US dollars. Check your regional Apple Store website
for the local prices.


Ouch: Apple's Mac and iPad price hikes are brutal
-------------------------------------------------
CEO Tim Cook said price increases were coming - now Apple is making
them.

As CEO Tim Cook warned a few days ago, Apple raised prices of Mac,
iPad, HomePod and Apple TV 4K on Thursday. The changes take effect
immediately, with most devices now costing $50 to $100 more. But
other hikes are even higher.

That said, Apple left iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods prices
unchanged. For now, anyway.


MacBooks and more get steep price hikes
Over the past several months, all major tech companies have
increased the prices of their products. Apple was the only exception,
sticking to the same MSRP for most of its products.

Cupertino's traditional way of increasing prices is to launch new
versions of products with a cost increase. For example, it raised
prices for the M5-powered MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models by $200
in March, but they also came with more storage to offset the hike.
This time around, Apple is raising prices for already available Macs,
iPads, HomePod and Apple TV.

The MacBook Neo, Apple's most affordable notebook, now starts at $699,
up from $599. Likewise, the Touch ID variant is $100 more expensive
and costs $799. Apple is imposing steeper increases on the MacBook Air
lineup, with prices rising from $1,099 to $1,299.

The jump is even more dramatic for the MacBook Pro. The base
M5 MacBook Pro now costs $1,999, a hefty $400 increase over its
previous price. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip starts at
$2,499, while the 16-inch model costs $2,999.

If you opt for the M5 Max configuration with 36GB of RAM must now pay
$4,399.

For comparison, Apple launched the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro
models with the M5 Pro chip at $2,200 and $2,700, respectively, in
March this year.


Adding RAM and storage also gets more expensive
As if that's not enough, RAM upgrades are more expensive, too. Going
from 24GB to 48GB on the 16-inch MacBook Pro will now cost $600 more,
with the jump to 64GB costing another $400 - a $200 increase. A fully
maxed-out 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max chip and 128GB RAM will now
set you back $9,999.

Mac Studio is also getting a similar treatment. Prices now start from
$2,499 - $500 more than before.

"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," an
Apple spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg.


HomePod and iPad are now more expensive, too
It's not just Macs being affected. iPad Pro prices now begin from
$1,199 after a $200 increase. The iPad Air lineup is getting a $150
price hike, with a new price of $749. The base iPad is $100 more
expensive now as well, starting from $450.

The 2nd-gen HomePod now starts from $349, $50 more than before. The
HomePod mini gets a relatively modest $29 price increase, going from
$99 to $129.

The Apple TV 4K is $50 more expensive than before. So, the base Wi-Fi
model with 64GB storage costs $199 ($149 previously), while the 128GB
model costs $249.

Even the Vision Pro has not been spared. The entry-level model now
costs $3,699, up from $3,499. The 1TB model gets a bigger jump and
now carries a $4,199 MSRP.


Product Old Price New Price Increase

MacBook Neo $599 $699 +$100
MacBook Neo (Touch ID) $699 $799 +$100
MacBook Air $1,099 $1,299 +$200
MacBook Pro (M5) $1,599 $1,999 +$400
MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5 Pro) $2,200 $2,499 +$299
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M5 Pro) $2,700 $2,999 +$299
Mac Studio $1,999 $2,499 +$500
HomePod (2nd gen) $299 $349 +$50
HomePod mini $99 $129 +$30
Apple TV 4K (64GB Wi-Fi) $149 $199 +$50
Apple TV 4K (128GB) $199 $249 +$50
iPad $349 $449 +$100
iPad Air $599 $749 +$150
iPad Pro $999 $1,199 +$200
Vision Pro (base) $3,499 $3,699 +$200
Vision Pro (1TB) $3,999 $4,199 +$200


The steepest increase hits the MacBook Pro lineup, with the base M5
model jumping by $400. Apple's entry-level MacBook Neo remains the
cheapest Mac, but even it now costs $100 more than before.



<https://www.cultofmac.com/news/ouch-apples-mac-and-ipad-price-hikes-brutal>





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