Parts supply shortages have increased the burden of buying Apple’s MacBook Pro as prices rise.

On Oct. 11 local time, IT outlet Engadget compared MacBook Pro prices in 2021 and 2026 and analysed that parts supply strains from expanding artificial intelligence (AI) data centres were behind the price increases.

Apple’s base 2021 MacBook Pro launched at $1,999 for the 14-inch model (2.69 million won in South Korea) and $2,499 for the 16-inch model (3.36 million won in South Korea). Both models used the M1 Pro chip, with the M1 Max available as a higher configuration.

The current 14-inch base model with the M5 chip starts at $1,999 (3.29 million won in South Korea), while the 16-inch model with the M5 Pro starts at $2,999 (4.99 million won in South Korea). Based on U.S. pricing, the 14-inch model is the same as the 2021 version and the 16-inch model is $500 more expensive, but in South Korea prices rose for both models.

The difference before and after this year’s price adjustments is also large. As of March, the 14-inch M5 model was $1,699 (2.69 million won in South Korea) and the 16-inch M5 Pro model was $2,699 (4.29 million won in South Korea). Since then, both models rose by $300 in the United States, while in South Korea they increased by 600,000 won and 700,000 won, respectively. The 14-inch model was cheaper than the 2021 version in the United States before the increase but is now the same, while the 16-inch model reflected an additional hike on top of an already higher price.

The comparison is based on the base models for each year excluding options. Prices for the MacBook Pro vary widely depending on memory, storage and chip configuration, so only starting prices were compared.

Apple accelerated its shift to in-house silicon in 2021, moving away from Intel processors and AMD graphics processing units for laptops. At the time, the MacBook Pro used the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The 2026 models have moved to the M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Key performance, including graphics, has improved from five years ago, and game performance has also improved from the M1 lineup.

Storage has also expanded. The base 2021 model had a 512GB SSD, but the M5 and M5 Pro models Apple announced in March start at 1TB. Price increases therefore need to be assessed alongside changes in base storage and performance.

Some have raised the possibility that a shortage of memory supply and its fallout could continue for the next few years. If parts procurement strains become prolonged, next-generation MacBook Pro models could also be priced high. Separately from performance gains, cost burdens from expanding AI infrastructure are also affecting the prices ordinary consumers pay for PCs.