I’m buying Apple before the price increase, and so should you
Maybe you’ve had a Mac in your cart since spring, or your aging iPad finally gave up, or your six-year-old AirPods keep cutting out mid-call. Whatever the reason, you already knew an Apple purchase was coming this year, and the calculus just changed. Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that price increases across the lineup are “unavoidable,” pinning the blame on a memory-chip shortage that has multiplied the cost of the DRAM and NAND inside every device the company ships. So your someday purchase became a now-or-pay-more decision, and I want to help you spend before the markup arrives.
What to buy now and what can wait
Your situation rewards a different set of priorities than the usual upgrade shopper. Timing matters more than owning the newest model. A current Mac or iPad at today’s price beats a marginally faster successor that arrives in the fall carrying a fresh markup, and the warning signs point to Macs and iPads moving first.
Storage and memory tiers deserve your attention next. The shortage is concentrated in DRAM and NAND, the exact components Apple charges a premium to upgrade, so the 512 GB model you want today is precisely the one that gets pricier tomorrow. Buying the capacity you need now protects you from paying twice over.
Pick the device whose natural replacement lands furthest off. A product weeks away from a refresh will see its successor show up at the new, higher pricing, while a model that just launched holds its current price longer.
My top picks
1. The everyday Mac: MacBook Air (M5)
Apple MacBook Air with M5
One laptop that covers years of work, browsing, and light editing without creeping into Pro territory, that’s the M5 MacBook Air, and it’s the one I’d hand most planned buyers. I’d get the 16 GB, 512 GB configuration while it holds, since memory and storage are where the squeeze bites hardest. A 16-hour battery and the M5 chip mean you won’t feel the pull to replace it the moment a new model appears, which is the whole point when prices are rising.
2. The budget Mac: MacBook Neo
Apple MacBook Neo
Anyone shopping for a student, a kid, or a second household machine should weigh the MacBook Neo before the entry price moves. It handles web browsing comfortably and can even run most casual games. The 8 GB ceiling shows when you pile on tabs, so I’d treat the Neo as a light-duty machine and keep the storage from filling up. A sub-$600 Mac will not exist for long once Apple reprices its cheapest models.
Related: 3 best budget laptops for 2026 that avoid the usual low-cost traps
3. The power Mac: MacBook Pro (M5 Pro)
Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Pro)
Editors, coders, and anyone running heavy media work have the clearest reason to buy now, because the Pro stacks the most expensive memory and storage Apple sells. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro earns the professional buyer’s money on its 24 GB of memory and a chip that chews through Blender and DaVinci work that would stutter elsewhere. A maxed configuration is where the coming markup stings most, so locking in the spec you need today saves you the most money later.
4. The mainstream tablet: iPad (11th generation)
Apple iPad 11-inch (A16)
Most people shopping for a tablet want a big, bright screen for video, reading, and a few apps, and they don’t need to spend Air money. The standard iPad answers that everyday buyer, running the latest iPadOS, handling demanding games, and starting at $349 with 128 GB of storage. Tablets lean on NAND for that storage, so the base-capacity bump that makes the iPad usable is the same component getting pricier. Buying now means paying today’s tablet price, not the fall’s.
5. The work tablet: iPad Air (M4)
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4)
Planning to lean on a tablet as a laptop stand-in? Buy the iPad Air before the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil ecosystem gets dragged up with it. The 11-inch model is what I’d put in front of the productivity-minded buyer, since its M4 chip, 12 GB of memory, and accessory support cover proper work without iPad Pro pricing. The Air starts at $600, and the 13-inch model plus higher storage tiers are the upgrades most likely to feel the impact of the shortage.
6. The phones to buy before September: iPhone 17 and 17 Pro
Apple iPhone 17
Phone shoppers face the sharpest deadline, because multiple reports project the iPhone 18 Pro arriving near $1,299, about $270 above where the Pro stands today. So my advice is to take the current iPhone 17 at $799 or the 17 Pro ($1,100), both of which deliver almost everything the 18 will, minus a markup driven by memory costs. The fall lineup leans on a foldable and a rebooted Siri that needs more memory to run, which is part of why the pricing climbs. Get a 17 now and skip the premium.
Related: Best budget smartphones: Pixel 10a and other top picks for performance, cameras, and battery life
7. The easy add-on: AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods 4
Apple AirPods Pro 3
Six-year-old earbuds dropping calls is reason enough, and AirPods are small enough that the memory crunch barely touches their pricing, which makes them the low-risk buy in the bunch. The Pro 3 is where I’d point most upgraders, on the strength of noise cancellation that leaps past older models and a battery that finally lasts a full day. Anyone who dislikes silicone tips can take the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation instead. Either way, you’re not gambling much on price movement.
What to skip
Don’t wait for the September keynote assuming you’ll get the same device cheaper afterward. The pattern runs the other way, with new models arriving at the higher pricing and last year’s stock often creeping up too.
Skip the panic-driven storage splurge as well. Buy the capacity you need rather than maxing out every tier, since the upgrades are where Apple’s premium bites hardest.
Resist the first-generation foldable iPhone if your goal is value. A brand-new folding design launching into a memory shortage will carry the steepest markup in the lineup, and early hardware revisions tend to fix what the first version got wrong. Waiting for prices to fall back later is the last trap, because hiked prices rarely retreat once the crunch eases.
Quick-start advice
Open your notes and write down the one Apple device you already planned to buy, plus the storage tier you want. Check Apple’s current price against Amazon and Walmart, since the retailers often run under Apple’s listing right now. Place the order this week rather than next, and pick the capacity you need on day one, because storage is the upgrade climbing fastest. Buying early is the whole play.
Related: Acer Swift Air 14 vs. MacBook Neo: Which cheap-ish laptop should you buy?
