Apple raises Mac entry prices as AI demand squeezes PC components

Apple also removed the 10,999 yuan eight-core entry iMac, leaving the mid-tier model as the starting option, according to the report. It said iPad Pro has already crossed 10,000 yuan, iPad Air starts at 5,000 to 6,000 yuan and the top iPad mini configuration exceeds 10,000 yuan.

The increases are not limited to Apple. Acer Chairman Chen Junsheng said in an interview last month that average PC prices would rise 5% to 20% in the fourth quarter because of upstream component costs, the report said. It cited ThinkPad X14 2026 pricing: an Ultra X9 388H model with 32GB memory and 1TB storage launched at 13,999 yuan in April, while an August model with a 378H processor, 32GB memory and 1TB LTE storage was listed at 16,299 yuan.

Consumers are seeing higher prices at checkout. The Shenzhen Business Daily interviewed a consumer who said a 7,800 yuan computer seen during the 618 shopping event had risen to 12,000 yuan by Double 11, according to the report. Another consumer who bought a ThinkBook 14+ Ryzen laptop for more than 5,700 yuan in May found the same model quoted above 9,700 yuan on e-commerce platforms.

Omdia analysis cited by the report said memory and solid-state drives have risen from about 15% of a PC's cost to nearly 40%. In the DIY market, Nvidia's RTX 5090, launched at CES 2025 with a $1,999 price and a China suggested retail price above 15,000 yuan, now sells on mainstream e-commerce platforms at 53,599 to 54,999 yuan for an Asus TUF model, with some listings at 59,600 yuan, the report said. Listings highlight AI design, AI rendering and deep-learning computing power, it said, and the 32GB VRAM card is used by small development teams and design studios to run local models.

The pressure extends to lower-tier cards. The report said the RTX 5060, previously priced at more than 2,000 yuan, now costs more than 3,000 yuan. Prebuilt RTX 5060 Ti gaming PCs with an i5-14600KF processor were priced at 7,799 yuan after discounts, an i5-14400F configuration at 7,399 yuan, and an older i5-12600KF configuration at 10,199 yuan and marked out of stock.

TrendForce forecast in late September that conventional DRAM contract prices would rise 10% to 15% quarter on quarter in the fourth quarter, while NAND flash would rise 15% to 20%, according to the report. It also expected enterprise SSD bit demand to grow more than 80% year on year in 2026, as Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron direct advanced capacity to HBM and server memory. The report said some PC brands have reduced standard SSD capacity to hold price lines.

Counterpoint Research preliminary data cited by the report showed global PC shipments fell 21% year on year in the third quarter, with a 27% drop expected in the fourth quarter. The report also said Apple has discussed pricing a touchscreen 14-inch MacBook Pro at $2,899, or about 19,000 yuan, and a 16-inch model at $3,399, or about 22,600 yuan, citing Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. SK Hynix said in its latest earnings outlook that memory shortages could last until 2030 as AI infrastructure investment expands and advanced fabs take time to build, according to the report.