Apple’s $300 price increases put two MacBook Pro models at $1,999 for the 14-inch M5 and $2,999 for the 16-inch M5 Pro.
This comparison with 2021 pricing accounts for US inflation while noting that the processor configurations differ.
The article also examines how AI data center demand is pressuring supplies of components such as memory and storage.
In 2021, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro processor cost $1.999. The 16-inch model with the same processor cost $2.499. Adjusted for U.S. inflation, these prices would be roughly $2.467 and $3.084 in 2026.
The base 14-inch 2026 MacBook Pro, with an M5 processor, now costs $1.999, up from $1.699. The 16-inch model, with an M5 Pro, costs $2.999, up from $2.699.
Before the increase, the 2026 14-inch model cost $300 less than the 2021 model. However, the comparison concerns different processors: the older model had M1 Pro, while the newer one has M5.
In the 16-inch models, the 2026 version cost $200 more than the 2021 version before the increase. After the increase, the difference reached $500. If inflation is taken into account, the new price is close to the corresponding price of the 2021 model.
The report links the rising cost of electronics to the pressure that artificial intelligence data centers are putting on the supply of components, such as memory, storage, and graphics cards.
The newer models use the M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max processors. According to the report, they have better graphics and gaming performance than the M1 series models. The report also estimates that the memory shortage could continue for at least the next few years and affect the prices of the next-generation MacBook Pro.
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