Apple's 2026 MacBook Pro Prices Rise After AI-Driven Component Shortage
Engadget compares 2021 and 2026 MacBook Pro prices, showing AI-driven component shortages raised Apple's laptop costs.
In 2021, Apple had just begun using its own silicon after moving away from AMD GPUs and Intel processors. The company introduced a slightly chunkier MacBook Pro lineup with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Entry-level pricing then was $1,999 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and $2,499 for the 16-inch model with M1 Pro.
Engadget notes that inflation changes the comparison. Adjusted for U.S. inflation rates, $1,999 in 2021 would be about $2,467 in 2026, and $2,499 would be about $3,084. Without the recent price increases, the 2026 MacBook Pros would have compared favorably with the 2021 models, the report says. The current machines use Apple's latest M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which offer substantial gains in graphics and processing performance over the five-year-old laptops and run games much better than the M1 series did, according to Engadget.
Before the hike, the 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro was actually cheaper than the 14-inch 2021 model. Engadget points out one difference: today's entry-level 14-inch has the base M5 chip, while the older entry-level 14-inch had the M1 Pro. The report describes this as a slight change in Apple's strategy, though it adds that the M-series has advanced considerably since 2021.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro was slightly more expensive than the 2021 version before the price increase and is now $500 more, bringing it much closer to the inflation-adjusted 2021 price. Engadget says the $3,000 price tag may make some buyers reconsider whether they need the extra screen space and power of the M5 Pro.
Apple announced large price hikes for a wide range of products earlier this year, including the entire MacBook Pro line, because it could no longer absorb the effects of the component shortage. Engadget says AI data centers are consuming supply chains for pivotal PC parts such as memory, storage and GPUs. The report refers to the memory crunch as 'RAMgeddon' and warns that the shortage and its knock-on effects could last at least the next few years, likely leading to high prices for the next generation of MacBook Pros as well.