It's possible that AI will bring us all kinds of amazing things in the future.
In the present, AI is making things more expensive. And Apple just showed us how much more expensive: It is raising prices on some of its Macs and iPads by at least 15% and directly attributing the hikes to the AI boom — specifically the buildout of data centers.
"The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage," the company said in a statement. "We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly."
In real-world terms, that means Apple's entry-level MacBook Air now costs $1,299 — up from $1,099. Its cheapest iPad Air, which cost $599 on Wednesday, now costs $749.
Apple had previewed the price hikes last week, when CEO Tim Cook called them "unavoidable." The company hasn't raised the prices of new iPhones, though we'll see what happens when it introduces new models this fall. Apple's statement says it "need[s] to begin raising prices on a number of products," which suggests these may not be the only increases.
Apple's announcement is important for people who want to buy new computers and tablets. But I think it's much more meaningful than that: It's the first time a giant consumer company has come out and told consumers that prices are going up because of AI.
That feels like an important milestone. That's because so much of the AI debate centers around what people think could happen in the future. If you're an AI optimist, it could help us find new wonder drugs or supercharge new industries. If you're a skeptic, you worry that it will create new bioweapons, or hollow out big swaths of the economy.
But today, in the here and now, Apple is saying things are more expensive because of AI.
That idea has been banging around the tech and financial worlds for some time, as the data center push squeezes on computer chips. That's good for some companies, like chipmakers Micron and SK Hynix, and an issue for just about everyone that needs chips for their products, which is… a lot of companies.
Much of this has been opaque to normal people. Now lots of normal people — even those who aren't in the market for new iPads and MacBooks — are going to hear that AI is making iPads and MacBooks more expensive.
That's the kind of data point that sticks in your head. And it's very hard to dislodge.
The AI industry has plenty of money and influence. But tech usually succeeds by bringing people something new or making something radically cheaper. Now tech says the same stuff you bought yesterday costs much more today.
It's hard to argue your way out of that one.