Apple raises iPad and MacBook prices, blaming cost of chips amid AI boom

Company says it cannot shield customers from memory and storage chip costs - and iPhone hikes could be nextApple raised iPad and MacBook prices on Thursday, saying it could no longer shield customers from soaring memory and storage chip costs driven by the AI industrys data center buildout.The move does not affect Apples cash cow, the iPhone. But it would take the starting price of the Neo, its lowest-priced laptop, from $599 to $699 mere months after launch.