Why your next Xbox, iPad, or laptop may suddenly cost hundreds more

There’s no doubt about it: the general public is turning against AI. They are worried it will steal their jobs, destroy the environment, and even kill innocents. And given that two of the biggest companies on the planet have now squarely placed the blame on AI-fueled shortages for forcing them to raise prices on popular tech gadgets and devices, consumers are likely to double down on their loathing for the technology. Apple and Microsoft blame AI-fueled memory and storage shortages for consumer price rises Yesterday, two of the world’s largest companies, Apple and Microsoft, announced pricing bombshells: they would significantly raise prices on their most popular consumer electronics. And neither held back on what was to blame for the price rises: artificial intelligence. First up was Apple, which announced significant price hikes across its Mac, iPad, and Home lineup. As Fast Company previously reported, Apple announced it was raising prices on devices in these lineups by an average of $246.67 (per MacRumors). The starting price of the popular iPad Pro, for example, jumped $200, from $999 to $1,999. The MacBook Pro saw its starting price surge by $300 (from $1,699 to $1,999), and the Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra chip saw an astounding $1,300 price increase to $5,299 (from $3,999). Even Apple’s Lowe-cost devices were not spared. The Apple TV jumped nerly 55% to $199 (up $70 from $129). “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple told Reuters, referring to the memory and storage shortage caused by the AI data center buildout boom. “We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today’s increases for iPad and Mac.” Microsoft was up next, announcing that it too would be raising prices on one of its most popular consumer products. Yesterday, the company announced that, effective August 1, i