slippery-pete
macrumors 68030
Speculation. You have no idea for sure. I would say there is a slim chance Apple raises prices mid cycle. Maybe when they release new models
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Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs
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They will eventually.
But, considering we have been paying deflationary pricing in the PC space for some time. We are WAY over due for a correction. If you think about the fact that in the 90's and early 2k. We paid more for an equivalent computer for the times. If you factor in performance increases over that time, and how much more RAM, CPU, Storage, you get for the money. This current level of price increases is really not that much. While it does "hurt" for sure. It will ease once we get more supply. Think about car prices over time. It's higher today than in the past, and we are better at making cars with more automation, and robots doing the work building them.
Data centers are eating up supply, but I personally think this space will end up like the Dot COM bubble. Not enough people will want to pay for the services these Ai data centers are selling. They may not have the spare income to pay for it, or just not need it. I'm not paying $10 or $20 or $100 a month for these services. Maybe a business will for its needs. But, if there is anything "free" to be had with Gemini, Micro$oft, Meta, Apple, and or others. Either on device Ai is "enough" or the free stuff is enough for most people.
Amazing, since the launch of the MacBook Neo a clear market disrupter for their budget laptop market.
Microsoft increased prices for all of its Surface PCs this week, with most models priced hundreds of dollars higher than they were when launching. Windows Central highlighted the increases, which now see Microsoft's mid-range models priced above $1,000 and flagship models priced starting at $1,500.
A Microsoft spokesperson said the price increase was due to "recent increases in memory and component costs."
Microsoft's 12-inch Surface Pro, which was its cheapest modern PC at $799, is now priced starting at $1,049. The flagship 512GB 13-inch Surface Pro is $1,499, up from $1,199 when it launched in 2024 (Microsoft also discontinued a $999 256GB configuration). The 13-inch Surface Laptop went from an $899 starting price to a $1,149 starting price, while the 13.8-inch model went from $999 to $1,499 and the 15-inch model went from $1,299 to $1,599.
The 13-inch Surface Pro and the 13.8-inch and 15-inch Surface Laptop models originally launched in 2024, and Microsoft did increase prices for them in 2025, so this is the second price increase. The 13-inch Surface Laptop and the two Surface Pro models that have seen a $300 price increase launched in 2025.
Microsoft's 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage used to be $100 cheaper than the 256GB M4 MacBook Air, but now it's $400 more than the 512GB M5 MacBook Air. Apple increased MacBook Air pricing from $999 to $1,099 with the M5 upgrade, but Apple's hike came with more base SSD storage. The Surface Laptop 7 is the laptop that Microsoft says is "faster than a MacBook Air M4."
Prices have increased for all Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models, from entry-level to high-end. Microsoft's PCs are now more expensive than their Mac equivalents, which is good news for Apple. The high-end Surface Laptop 7 with 64GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is $3,649, which is more expensive than the 16-inch $3,300 M5 Pro MacBook Pro with 64GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. Apple's M5 Pro chip also far outperforms the Snapdragon X Elite.
Windows Central says Microsoft has new Surface PCs coming later this year, which are also expected to have the same higher prices.
Microsoft's decision to increase PC prices comes as Samsung also raised prices for some of its smartphone models and all of its U.S. tablet offerings.
Both Microsoft and Samsung are responding to increased costs caused by global memory shortages. Chip makers are prioritizing memory for AI data centers, and there is little manufacturing capacity left for consumer devices.
Article Link: Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs
Microsoft's response is, raise prices.
I suppose they have to fund their AI slop somehow....
maflynn
macrumors Broadwell
I've recently wiped my drive, and installed CachyOS, and it has breathed new life into my aging PC. Gaming performance with Proton is near windows, and the OS is much more responsive. No ads, no telemetry is a bonus
IIGS User
macrumors 68000
I bought an M4 16" MBP last fall. It's totally overkill for me and I got a decent price on it (for what it is, it's still a capital outlay of sorts) and will last me for years.
Anyone who NEEDS a new computer this year and next is just gonna get slaughtered. Ramageddon is coming to Apple products soon enough.
phenste
macrumors 6502a
a Neo has never looked better. Apple couldn’t have predicted how well designing a consumer laptop around an A-series chip would bode for the current RAM shortage. seemingly, all good things at Apple currently circle around to Apple Silicon, which does not surprise me.
rp2011
macrumors 68040
be nice if putting your head in the sand worked like that
Boy this sure was a great time to force people to dispose of millions of perfectly fine Windows 10 computers for no reason.
Non-Euclidean
macrumors 6502a
Here is the article on Ars, with a good comment section
And while Microsoft often isn't paying those fees either, their volume is very low compared to Apple. Apple's memory contracts aren't just Macs, but iPhones, iPads, etc. which put them 1-2 orders of magnitude larger as a buyer. Apple's isn't fully insulated from it, but you would expect them to reduce that impact relative to anyone else in the industry. And of course, they have enough margin overhead that if they want to ride through the AI crush and take the margin hit they can almost certainly do it. Microsoft can choose to do that too, but the OEMs can't. So in the sense that the Mac would benefit from a greater focus from developers by pushing their marketshare up, this is about as good an opportunity as Apple has ever had to do that. And that's not a problem that Microsoft is trying to solve, so why eat the margins?
And the whole Surface project is still Microsoft learning how to do what Apple does. And Apple's been doing this for decades, and are considered not just the best in tech at doing it, but the best in any industry. It's what they do. Microsoft really just doesn't have the scale or commitment there yet - though the ARM Windows machines suggest that they are continuing to commit to it.
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arstechnica.com
johnsonwax
Apple's vertical integration insulates them somewhat from these, because they can decide where to take their margins. They aren't paying per OS license like the OEMs are, and their marginal cost for shipping an additional license is pretty much $0. They don't have to cover the margins of the CPU designer. And there's a LOT of that sort of thing where Apple is licensing from themselves, which OEMs almost never have.
And while Microsoft often isn't paying those fees either, their volume is very low compared to Apple. Apple's memory contracts aren't just Macs, but iPhones, iPads, etc. which put them 1-2 orders of magnitude larger as a buyer. Apple's isn't fully insulated from it, but you would expect them to reduce that impact relative to anyone else in the industry. And of course, they have enough margin overhead that if they want to ride through the AI crush and take the margin hit they can almost certainly do it. Microsoft can choose to do that too, but the OEMs can't. So in the sense that the Mac would benefit from a greater focus from developers by pushing their marketshare up, this is about as good an opportunity as Apple has ever had to do that. And that's not a problem that Microsoft is trying to solve, so why eat the margins?
And the whole Surface project is still Microsoft learning how to do what Apple does. And Apple's been doing this for decades, and are considered not just the best in tech at doing it, but the best in any industry. It's what they do. Microsoft really just doesn't have the scale or commitment there yet - though the ARM Windows machines suggest that they are continuing to commit to it.
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Two-year-old Surface PCs get $300 price hikes as sub-$1,000 models go away
Paying more for the same stuff" is the story of consumer technology in 2026.
arstechnica.com
Personally, as a consumer, if i'm interacting with a business and its clear on the consumer side that they are using AI (chatbots for responses for example) I will usually avoid interacting with them/look elsewhere if possible for what I need
Steve Adams
macrumors 68020
Hey, It's a novelty at best. Simple. I have no use for Ai in the form of ChatGPT, Co-Pilot etc. its a joke.
davidg4781
macrumors 68040
Most financial websites were warning to update the browser and wouldn’t allow its use. Safari went first, Chrome stopped supporting that version of OS X. I don’t remember if I tried FireFox or TenFourFox. My mom was using it at the end so I didn’t want to get her down that hole.
Now I did have a 2011 mini that I had no issues with regarding the software. GPU died on that one.
davidg4781
macrumors 68040
Absolutely they will. They’re trying to grow market share on start a new product line.
The margins on there are a lot higher than the competition due to the way they negotiate. They’re also in a lot stronger stance financially to weather this storm. I feel this shortage will be short lived, <18 months. It’ll shake up the industry though.
musicmachine
macrumors member
Was going to wait until back to school promotion started to get MacBook for the free AirPods but now I’m worried prices will go up by then
HouseLannister
macrumors 68040
And they got out of phones... again. And I doubt we will see any new Xbox ever again. Project Helix will just end up being manufactured by ASUS like their current handheld. Not surprising that Microsoft has lost over $1t in market value over the past year or so. They gambled big on Copilot and it is not paying off like they thought it would.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
I hope Apple can figure out how to CRANK OUT NEOs
A massive sea change opportunity exists right now for them.
A massive sea change opportunity exists right now for them.
QuantumPulse
macrumors member
Yeah, but there's still limitations. Higher memory capacities on their systems are severely delayed right now due to chip availability. Some configurations are not even available to order. Especially so on the Mac mini and Studio. But some of us are trying to remain hopeful that M5 updates to those systems are just around the corner. I need a couple minis with M4/M5 Pro, 64GB, 2TB+, 10GE and I'm trying to hold off for an M5 update. But can't even order one with 64GB now -- a week ago, new orders were estimated to ship in August. Now not an option.
The Surface product line isn't really competition, though.
The tablets have always been worse versions of the Ipad.
The laptops have always had all of the worst features of Apple laptops (bad keyboards, poor connectivity, non-repairability, expensive) without any of the advantages.
The desktop thing was cool, but should have just been a monitor and not an awesome LCD panel permanently attached to an underpowered and overpriced computer.
Almost everyone who needs a Windows or Linux device would be best served by pretty much anything other than an MS Surface.
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You must use different Apple laptops than I do. The keyboards are great. Also, what do you mean by "poor connectivity"? My laptop connects wirelessly and wired to many things. Apple laptops are also repairable, just not easily at home (for that matter, not many laptops running Windows are either to the vast majority of people).
You've truly lost if you're purchasing a Surface anything.