Apple's MacBook Pro lineup has changed a lot since 2021, but the biggest difference isn't the chip—it's the price. The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip still starts at $1,999, the same nominal price as the 14-inch M1 Pro model in 2021. The 16-inch version, however, jumped from $2,499 to $2,999, a $500 increase that brings it close to the inflation-adjusted price of its 2021 equivalent, which would be about $3,084 today.
Apple announced broad price hikes earlier this year after it could no longer absorb rising component costs. The culprit is what the article calls "RAMgeddon": AI data centers are consuming supply chains for memory, storage, and GPUs, pushing up costs across the electronics industry. The 14-inch MacBook Pro was actually $1,699 before the hike, making it cheaper than the 2021 model in nominal terms. The 16-inch model was $2,699 pre-hike, still slightly above the 2021 price.
The price increases also highlight a subtle shift in Apple's strategy. The current entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro uses a base M5 chip, whereas the 2021 entry model had the M1 Pro. That's a step down in tier, even if the M5's performance is a major upgrade over the five-year-old M1 series. With memory shortages likely to persist for the next few years, the article suggests consumers should brace for even higher prices on future MacBook Pro generations.