Apple jacks up MacBook pricing with M5 Pro, Max debut

RAM shortages and faster chips have a big impact on Apple's next-gen laptops. On Tuesday, the iGiant unveiled its M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros and M5 Airs alongside steep price hikes across the lineup.

Apple's refreshed MacBook Pros now start at $2,199 for the 14-inch and $2,699 for the larger 16-inch model, $200 higher than the M4 Pro equivalents. M5 MacBook Air starting prices, meanwhile, are up $100 to $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch version.

Memory prices have surged over the past few months amid a shortage of DRAM and NAND flash blamed squarely on the AI boom.

To make its higher starting prices more palatable, Apple has doubled the onboard storage with the M5 Pro complemented by 1 TB of flash and the Max variant shipping with 2 TB on board. The MacBook Air's capacity has ...