Apple and Microsoft Raise Prices Amid AI Memory Crunch

Apple and Microsoft raised prices on flagship consumer products Friday, citing rising memory costs driven by AI infrastructure demand. Some Mac configurations are hundreds of dollars more expensive than they were Thursday. The simultaneous moves affect tens of millions of US consumers and mark a signal that AI buildout costs are flowing through to retail prices.

The announcements triggered a broad technology selloff across global markets. SoftBank Group led declines in Asian tech stocks as investors weighed growing concerns over the rising cost of AI infrastructure. The price hikes point to an AI cost-inflation cycle -- one where the memory and compute demands of AI features push hardware and software costs higher for everyday buyers.