Apple has raised the prices of MacBooks and iPads by blaming high chip costs

Pescatore pointed out how Apple’s actions present challenges “even for the world’s biggest tech companies.”

“This is a very important moment because even Apple, with its size and purchasing power, is not immune to rising prices for key components,” he told the BBC.

Affected hardware includes the MacBook Pro with 1 terabyte of storage, which has gone up from $1,699 to $1,999 in the US store.

Meanwhile in the UK the Neo – Apple’s lowest priced laptop – has risen from £599 to £699 within months of its launch.

“Until now, we’ve protected our customers from these increases, but now we’ve reached the point where we’re starting to increase prices on a variety of products today, including iPad and Mac increases,” the company said in a statement.

David Naranjo of market research firm Counterpoint said he expects other PC and tablet manufacturers to follow Apple by raising prices.

“They may raise prices on select products, cut discounts on entry-level models or focus their product lines on premium devices,” he said.

Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice president and chief analyst at market research firm Forrester, said he believes Apple’s loyal customers will absorb the financial loss without much fuss.

“If anyone can live with the least return on a price increase, it’s Apple,” he added.

Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook has also hinted at the changes – he told The Wall Street Journal in early June that a price hike was “impossible” due to the “sustainability” surrounding memory chips.

“We definitely need memory pricing and availability to return to affordability for consumer products. That’s the bottom line.” He told the publication..

The rising costs have affected various companies and products in the technology sector, including PCs and consoles.

on Monday Gaming giant Valve has said that its original goal for the price of the gaming PC is “no longer viable”, launching in the UK at £879 and US$1,049.