Apple raises MacBook prices across the board as M5 chips, new displays signal AI-first strategy

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CNBC

Tech

Apple raises MacBook prices across the board as M5 chips, new displays signal AI-first strategy

Published Tue, Mar 3 202612:20 PM ESTUpdated 9 Min Ago

MacKenzie Sigalos
@KENZIESIGALOS

Key Points
* Apple rolled out new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with M5 chips, plus a revamped Studio Display lineup.
* The new Macs are more expensive, with MacBook Air prices rising by $100 and the 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro starting at $3,899.
* Wednesday could still bring a lower-cost MacBook that broadens the week’s strategy beyond high-end buyers.

Apple on Tuesday rolled out new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with its latest M5 chips, along with an updated Studio Display lineup, in its biggest Mac refresh in more than a year.

The push gives Apple a fresh shot at reviving Mac demand while making a broader case that more AI work will move onto the device itself, not just the cloud.

The announcements come at a critical moment for Apple’s Mac business, which saw sales drop nearly 7% to $8.39 billion during the holiday quarter, falling well short of analyst expectations of nearly $9 billion. These new machines are meant to get people to upgrade, especially users still hanging onto older Intel-era systems or early M-series devices.

But they also arrive at higher prices, with tighter memory supply driving up costs as suppliers favor the more lucrative AI data center market over consumer hardware.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/apple-macbook-prices-m5-ai.html

---

I was at a best Buy on Friday. Are all the M4 Macs that were on display on the way out, or will they stay in the lineup as the entry-level Macs?

[SheltieLover]

1. Take a peek at what DDR 4 & 5 RAM is now sellimg for

[highplainsdem]

2. Thanks to the AI bubble.

[cstanleytech]

6. Meh it'll pop eventually and then the prices will crash.

[Polybius]

9. That's what I heard about Bitcoin 8 years ago

Still kicking at $68,000 per coin.

[SheltieLover]

7. Yup.

Greedy pricks.

[mwmisses4289]

3. So, we are pricing ourselves out of the market

by raising prices on our machines so nobody can afford to buy them; nobody is buying them because they are too expensive; so let's raise the price even more so nobody will buy them because they are even more expensive and continue the business strategy of pricing ourselves out of the market!

Have i got that right?

[IbogaProject]

4. The overall increased prices

Both for computer gear and for necessities like oil and food will continue to push sales and earnings lower.

[cstanleytech]

5. That's out of the realm of affordability for most people.

[3825-87867]

8. Maybe that's the idea?

?