Overview
- This week Apple raised prices on Macs, iPads, HomePod and Vision Pro models and Microsoft increased Xbox prices while warning memory costs could double again by fall 2027.
- Contract DRAM and NAND prices have surged since late 2025, with research firms reporting about a 90% jump in DRAM in Q1 2026 and roughly a 60% rise in Q2 that together pushed memory and storage costs to roughly four times levels from three quarters earlier.
- Memory makers are prioritizing high‑bandwidth memory for AI servers and signing take‑or‑pay multiyear strategic customer agreements that lock capacity and reduce spot supply for smaller device makers.
- Device makers are responding by cutting high‑memory SKUs, raising retail prices, and warning of lower unit shipments and wider inflationary pressure on PCs, phones and consoles.
- Fab expansions planned for 2028–2030 offer some relief but long lead times mean consumers should expect higher hardware prices and altered product mixes to persist for several years.