Apple raises Mac and iPad prices due to chip shortage - StreetInsider

Apple's decision to raise prices on Mac and iPad products due to global chip shortages reflects the severe challenges facing the semiconductor industry and the profound impact of supply chain disrupti... Read original →

Apple’s Mac and iPad price hikes reveal deeper structural fragility in its reliance on advanced-node semiconductors. With TSMC (Taiwan, China) operating at full capacity below 7nm, any geopolitical or natural disruption risks cascading shortages. Upstream costs for EDA tools and photoresists are surging, forcing OEMs to absorb higher BOM expenses and squeezing hardware margins across the ecosystem. Regulatory pressures—from U.S. export controls to the EU Chips Act—are inflating supply chain reconfiguration costs. While Apple leverages pricing power, rivals like Samsung and Microsoft may accelerate in-house silicon development, especially in AI PCs. Over the next 18 months, the industry will shift toward a ‘high-cost, low-efficiency’ norm: JIT inventory gives way to Just-in-Case strategies, chip designers pursue multi-sourcing, and competition for mature-node capacity intensifies—ultimately driving global capex toward geographically diversified manufacturing.