NewsHK
Against the backdrop of a sector-wide RAM and storage shortage, back-to-school laptop prices have moved visibly higher, with some models selling at substantially elevated levels compared to recent years.
All memory being manufactured through 2027 is already allocated, making the demand environment for affordable laptops structurally compressed well past this purchase season.
The mechanism is straightforward: memory production is fully committed, so assemblers pay elevated input costs and those costs reach retail. Apple's MacBook Air (M5) shows the shift clearly.
The 13-inch model opens at $1,299, or $1,199 for students, up from $999 as recently as last year, with the 15-inch at $1,499.
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