Apple raises prices of new MacBooks, blames AI memory costs
Apple has bumped up prices for its latest MacBook Air and Pro models with the new M5 chips.
The 13-inch Air now starts at $1,099 (up $100), and the 15-inch is $1,299 (up $100).
The Pro lineup sees mixed increases—$100 to $400 depending on model: the 14-inch M5 Pro rose $200 to $2,199, the 16-inch M5 Pro rose $200 to $2,699, the 14-inch M5 Max rose $400 to $3,599, the 16-inch M5 Max rose $400 to $3,899, and the regular M5 MacBook Pro rose $100 to $1,699.
Apple says rising memory costs from AI demand are to blame.
The new Macs come with faster M5 chips
Apple doubled the MacBook Air's base storage to 512GB, and Pro models now start at a minimum of 1TB, with high-end M5 Max models including 2TB.
The M5 chips make AI tasks four times faster than before; overall speed gets a solid boost too—30% faster for Pro, plus upgraded WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
If you're a student or educator, check out Apple's education store for some pretty decent discounts.
Pre-orders open March 4, hit stores March 11
Mac sales have dipped lately, so Apple's hoping these speedier Macs will tempt folks to upgrade.
Pre-orders open March 4 and hit stores March 11—if you've been waiting for better performance (and don't mind paying extra), it might be worth a look.