Apple Lifts MacBook and iPad Prices Almost 20 Percent in Australia Days Before EOFY

Apple has raised prices on its MacBook and iPad ranges in Australia by almost 20 percent, with the increase landing overnight just days before the June 30 end of financial year deadline.

The MacBook Air M5, in its 13 inch configuration with 16GB of RAM, has jumped from around 2,099 dollars to 2,549 dollars, an increase of roughly 450 dollars. The iPad Air in its 11 inch, 256GB Wi-Fi configuration has climbed from a range of about 1,027 to 1,199 dollars up to 1,449 dollars. The latest rise follows an earlier increase to MacBook Air and Pro pricing in March, which came alongside upgraded specifications.

Chip costs blamed for the jump

Apple pointed to "soaring memory and storage chip costs driven by the AI boom" as the reason behind the price rise. The company said "we know this is not welcome news, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions," acknowledging the increase would be unwelcome for customers already navigating a difficult cost of living environment.

The announcement was not well received by investors either, with Apple's own share price falling 6.1 percent following the news.

Old stock still on shelves at old prices

Third party retailers including Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Amazon Australia are still selling older inventory at pre increase prices, creating a noticeable gap between Apple's direct pricing and what shoppers can find elsewhere. In one example, an identical MacBook configuration was found to be 652 dollars cheaper at Officeworks than buying directly from Apple.