Shoppers in the UAE hunting for a new Mac are facing noticeably steeper price tags this summer, after Apple pushed through a round of increases that lands hardest on its laptop range. A check of Apple’s UAE website by Gulf News on June 26 found that several MacBook configurations now sell for hundreds of dirhams more than they did in March.
The reason traces back to a global squeeze on memory and storage components. Apple confirmed on Thursday that it was lifting prices on Macs, iPads and other hardware, pointing to the soaring cost of the chips that power virtually every modern device. “The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage,” the company said in a statement, adding: “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.”
That demand has been fed by the construction boom in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Memory suppliers have increasingly funneled their output toward AI server customers, who pay premium rates, leaving thinner supply for the laptops, tablets and phones sold to ordinary consumers. According to industry tracker TrendForce, DRAM prices climbed by as much as 98 percent in the first quarter of 2026, with a further jump of 58 to 63 percent expected in the current quarter — a spike some analysts have nicknamed “RAMageddon.”
For UAE buyers, the sharpest jump sits at the premium end. Gulf News reported that the 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts from AED 8,499, compared with roughly AED 7,199 in March — a difference of about AED 1,300. The 16-inch model, the heaviest configuration in the lineup, now opens at AED 12,499.
The mid-range MacBook Air, long a favourite among students and office workers, has also moved up. Per Gulf News, the 13-inch version is now listed from AED 5,499, up from AED 4,599 in March, while the 15-inch model rose from AED 5,499 to AED 6,299 — increases of AED 900 and AED 800 respectively. The timing matters for families shopping ahead of the new school year, when laptops tend to top back-to-school lists.
Even Apple’s most affordable laptop did not escape. Gulf News reported that the entry MacBook now starts at AED 2,999 for the 256GB Magic Keyboard configuration, up from AED 2,599 in March, while the 512GB version with Touch ID climbed from AED 2,999 to AED 3,499 — adding AED 400 and AED 500 respectively to what had been positioned as a budget-friendly option.
Apple framed the move as one it had held off making for as long as it could. The company said it had absorbed rising component costs to shield customers but had reached a point where doing so was no longer sustainable. Tim Cook, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, described the situation in stark terms, saying price increases were “unavoidable” and calling the cost spike a “hundred-year flood.”
The decision rattled investors. Apple shares slid by roughly 5 percent in trading after the announcement, with the company’s stock losing ground as markets weighed the prospect of softer device demand. Notably, the iPhone — Apple’s single largest source of revenue — was left untouched by this round of increases, a sign the company is treating its flagship product differently from the rest of its catalogue, at least for now.
