Apple laptops and other computing devices likely to see substantial price hikes this year.
The global notebook market is expected to face dual pressures from weak demand and rising component costs in 2026, according to TrendForce’s latest research on the notebook industry.
In addition to rapidly rising memory prices, CPU pricing has also begun to move higher. TrendForce estimates that to preserve existing margin structures for both notebook brands and distribution channels, the retail price of a mainstream notebook with an original manufacturer’s price of US$900 could rise by nearly 40%.
The research group notes that since the start of 2026, supply for notebook DRAM and NAND Flash has tightened significantly. Prices have surged, and shortages of certain components have become more pronounced, increasing uncertainty for notebook brands as they plan their procurement strategies.
TrendForce modeled a baseline scenario based on a mainstream notebook with a $900 MSRP in the first quarter of 2025 to evaluate the potential impact of component price increases on retail pricing.
Under normal conditions, DRAM and SSD account for roughly 15% of a notebook’s bill of materials (BOM) cost. However, after several quarters of sharp increases in memory prices, that share is projected to exceed 30% in the first quarter of 2026. In this scenario, retail prices for a $900 notebook may need to rise by more 30% just to maintain existing profit margins across the supply chain.
TrendForce also notes that recent developments in the CPU market extend beyond pricing. Supply stability has begun to fluctuate as well. As demand for AI-related computing workloads continues to grow, upstream advanced process and packaging capacity has increasingly been prioritized for high-performance computing products, crowding out supply for some entry-level and lower-end CPUs.
This shift has begun to limit supply for certain entry-level and lower-end CPUs, leading to tighter availability for Intel’s entry-level notebook platforms. TrendForce concludes that memory supply conditions and CPU pricing strategies over the next several quarters will be key factors shaping global notebook shipment trends and competitive dynamics among brands.
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