📚 New to this topic? Read our full guide: Mergers & Acquisitions Explained.
Apple Price Hike in India Explained: Why Macs and iPads Cost More but iPhones Don’t
Apple has quietly raised prices in India on several products. The Apple price hike hit MacBooks, iPads, HomePods and Apple TV. Some MacBook prices jumped by over ₹1 lakh. But there is one big surprise: iPhone prices stayed exactly the same. The changes went live on Thursday, June 25, 2026, across Apple’s online store. Here is what changed and why.
The short answer for the hike is a global shortage of memory chips, driven by the AI boom. The reason iPhones were spared is mostly about timing and how Apple sells phones in India.
What got costlier
The entry-level MacBook Neo went up from ₹69,900 to ₹79,900. The MacBook Air rose by ₹20,000 to start at ₹1,49,000. High-end MacBook Pro models spiked by a massive ₹70,000. iPads, HomePods and the Apple TV 4K also saw price increases.
iPhones did not change at all. The iPhone 17 stays at ₹82,900. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at ₹1,34,900. The older iPhone 16 stays at ₹69,900.
Key facts
| Product | Old price | New price |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Neo | ₹69,900 | ₹79,900 |
| MacBook Air | ₹1,29,000 | ₹1,49,000 |
| MacBook Pro (high-end) | — | Up by ₹70,000 |
| iPhone 17 | ₹82,900 | ₹82,900 (unchanged) |
| iPhone 17 Pro | ₹1,34,900 | ₹1,34,900 (unchanged) |
| iPhone 16 | ₹69,900 | ₹69,900 (unchanged) |
Why did Apple raise Mac and iPad prices?
The main reason is a severe shortage of memory and storage chips. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook called it a “hundred-year flood” in the supply chain. In plain words, it is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis in getting parts.
What caused the shortage? The AI boom. Companies are building huge AI data centres, which are warehouses full of powerful computers that train and run AI models. These centres need enormous amounts of memory. DRAM is the fast memory chip that computers use for short-term tasks. AI data centres are projected to consume up to 70% of the world’s total DRAM production this year.
When so much memory goes to AI, less is left for laptops and tablets. Prices for those chips shot up. “The memory market is experiencing a structural shift, driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure,” said Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group at CyberMedia Research. He added that this goes beyond the normal ups and downs of the chip industry.
Even Apple, known for its strong buying power, could not fully absorb the cost. So it passed part of the increase to customers on RAM-heavy products like the Mac and iPad.
Why was the iPhone left untouched?
The iPhone uses RAM too, so why no hike? There are a few reasons.
1. It is mid-cycle. The iPhone 17 has been on sale since last September. In India, many premium iPhones are sold through telecom deals, no-cost EMI plans and finance schemes. An EMI is a monthly instalment plan that lets buyers pay in parts. Raising the price now would upset all those deals and confuse retail partners. Macs and iPads sell in much lower numbers, so Apple can change their prices with a simple switch.
2. Local assembly is a buffer. Many iPhones are now assembled inside India. This protects Apple from import duties and short-term supply shocks. Macs and iPads are still imported, so they have no such cushion.
3. A price hike may be saved for the next model. The iPhone 18 is expected around September. Leaks suggest the iPhone 18 Pro will carry more RAM, possibly 12GB as standard, to run advanced Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI in iOS 27. It is easier to charge more for a brand-new phone than for one already on shelves.
FAQ
Which Apple products got more expensive in India?
MacBooks, iPads, HomePods and Apple TV 4K. Some MacBook prices rose by over ₹1 lakh.
Did iPhone prices go up?
No. The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 16 all kept their existing prices.
Why did the prices rise?
A global shortage of memory chips, caused by AI data centres buying up most of the world’s DRAM, pushed component costs up sharply.
Why it matters (especially for India)
This price hike shows how the AI boom now reaches ordinary shoppers. AI’s hunger for memory is making laptops and tablets pricier for everyone, not just data-centre owners. If you planned to buy a Mac or iPad, the cost just went up by thousands of rupees.
It also highlights why local manufacturing matters. iPhones are partly protected because they are assembled in India. That is the same trend behind Foxconn’s growing investment in India. The takeaway: AI is no longer just a tech story; it is now showing up on your shopping bill. And if you want a new iPhone at today’s price, buying before the iPhone 18 launch may be wise.
Sources: Financial Express — Apple’s price hike explained and Financial Express — Apple hikes Mac prices by up to Rs 70,000