For years, criticizing Apple’s pricing policy has been a more than justified constant: we have seen how the company charged $100 per a leap in capacity that it cost them ten, or asked astronomical figures such as 690 euros for a 2 TB SSD which in the market cost 100. However, the current memory crisis has turned the tables: the shortage is so serious and the inflation so aggressive that Apple’s rates are beginning to seem even “economical” compared to the competition.
Context. As we have been telling in Xataka, the memory industry is facing a critical scenario. The AI fever has caused chipmakers such as Samsung and SK Hynix to prioritize the production of HBM memory for servers and AI GPUs, leaving aside the consumer market.
The result is a supply deficit that has skyrocketed prices by up to 300% for some components, forcing manufacturers like Xiaomi to warn that our next mobile will be more expensive. Others like Micron have not brought good news either: in fact, the manufacturer closes its Crucial consumer division to focus on the lucrative data sector.
Dell and Lenovo raise prices, Apple freezes. The first chip to fall has been Dell. According to industry reportsthe company plans a price increase of 15-20% this month, while Lenovo has begun to warn its customers of imminent increases for early 2026 precisely due to the DRAM shortage.
But the most striking thing is not the general increase, but the cost of the expansions. Dell is currently charging a surcharge of $550 for going from 16 to 32 GB of RAM in some of its XPS laptops, a figure that easily exceeds the $400 that Apple asks for the same jump in its MacBook Air.
Bounce effect and an exception. The current situation has led to paradoxes never seen before: the traditionally expensive Apple maintains its prices stable (for the moment and thanks to already high margins), while the PC world suffers from market volatility.
The Framework Modular Laptop Manufacturer He took the opportunity to point out the play: denounces that Dell’s prices are “abusive” and highlights that they charge 85% less for the same memory upgrade. However, even they warn that their cheap inventory will run out sooner rather than later.
A future of pressured margins. Although Lenovo is well positioned to weather the storm thanks to its scale, financial analysts They warn that the rise in memory prices threatens their margins and end-user demand for the next 12-18 months.
With Samsung and SK Hynix refusing to increase production To avoid a new bubble, it seems that the industry has entered a phase where paying premiums for RAM will be the new normal. This makes Apple’s historical “dunks” seem, ironically, like a refuge for its stability.
Cover image | Composition with images of Applesfera and Andrey Matveev for Unsplash
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings