GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple has raised prices across its MacBook Pro lineup in 2026, affecting even the entry-level configuration compared to 2021 models. The increase follows Apple's broader price hikes announced this year across multiple product lines, departing from the company's past pattern of keeping starting prices relatively stable between generations.
AMD CEO Lisa Su told reporters in Taipei that the company increased chip supply this year and plans a further major ramp-up in 2027 to meet AI demand. Su is in Taiwan meeting partners including Foxconn, with TSMC talks planned, and will travel to South Korea this week to meet memory suppliers. AMD shares rose nearly 4% on the news, trading at $656.84, up about 194% year to date.
Valve's September 2026 Steam Hardware Survey shows 32GB of system RAM is now used by 42.22% of surveyed gaming PCs, up 4.77% from August, while 16GB configurations fell to 37.82%. Unusual configurations like 24GB and 48GB also grew slightly, even as a global memory chip shortage continues.
Nvidia increased the price of its Shield TV Pro streaming box from $199.99 to $299.99 starting October 2nd, citing rising component costs linked to the ongoing memory shortage. The company has also discontinued the cheaper entry-level Shield TV, leaving the Pro as its only streaming device.
Nvidia has raised the price of its Shield TV Pro streaming device from $199.99 to $299.99, a $100 increase despite no hardware changes. An Nvidia spokesperson told Ars Technica the hike, effective October 2, stems from rising component costs, particularly memory, across the industry. The company has also discontinued the standard Shield TV, leaving the Pro as its only Shield-branded device.
Raspberry Pi has raised prices again, this time targeting the 2GB versions of the Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5, which had been spared in an April price increase. The Raspberry Pi 5 2GB rises 19% to $77.50, while the Raspberry Pi 4 2GB climbs to $67.50 from $55, a 23% jump. CEO Eben Upton attributed the increases to ongoing shortages of LPDDR4 and LPDDR5 memory chips that have pushed up production costs.
Samsung quietly raised prices on the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra by $100 without an official announcement, though the Galaxy S26 FE and new foldables were unaffected. The 512GB Galaxy S26 now costs $1,200, the S26 Plus $1,400, the S26 Ultra $1,600, and the 1TB S26 Ultra jumped $200 to $2,000.
Samsung has increased US pricing for the Galaxy S26 lineup, adding $100 to the 256GB and 512GB variants of the S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra, and $200 to the 1TB S26 Ultra. The base S26 now starts at $999.99, the Plus at $1,199.99, and the Ultra at $1,399.99, with the top 1TB Ultra model reaching $1,999.99. A Yonhap News report says Samsung has made similar increases in South Korea.
Apple has raised prices across its Mac lineup, reportedly due to an ongoing memory shortage, making current models less of a bargain than earlier this year. Despite this, retailers are still offering discounts on the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, while the $699 MacBook Neo remains largely undiscounted at retail but is available refurbished from Apple for $100-$120 less than retail price with a one-year warranty.
Acer chairperson Jason Chen said PC prices will keep rising 5-20% through late 2025, plateau in early 2027, then start falling as memory chip supplies normalize sooner than manufacturers claim. He pushed back on suppliers like SK hynix and Adata, who warn shortages could persist until 2030 or beyond, arguing these companies are inflating fears to protect profit margins.
A global memory chip shortage is pushing smaller device makers like Fairphone, Jolla, and Framework to rethink product design, order chips months ahead, and test incoming shipments for counterfeits. Fairphone's CEO says memory now accounts for nearly 60% of the bill of materials on its roughly $400 phones, while SK Hynix's chief has warned the shortage could persist until 2030, peaking in severity around 2027.
Plaion Replai has pushed back the launch of its Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System+ remake from November 2025 to September 16, 2027. The company cites overwhelming demand plus a global memory chip shortage fueled by AI infrastructure investment as reasons for the delay. Pricing remains unchanged, with the standard edition at $250 and the 35th anniversary bundle at $350.