--- title: "Apple raises MacBook prices across the board, with the M5 chip and new display marking an AI-first strategy" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/277680490.md" description: "Apple has launched new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models equipped with the M5 chip, and updated the Studio Display monitor series, marking the largest update to the Mac product line in over a year. Despite a nearly 7% decline in Mac sales during the holiday quarter, the new models aim to attract users to upgrade, especially those using older devices. The new MacBooks have increased prices, with the 13-inch MacBook Air starting at $1,099 and the 14-inch M5 Pro version starting at $2,199, primarily enhancing storage and performance, particularly optimized for AI tasks" datetime: "2026-03-03T21:31:14.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/277680490.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277680490.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/277680490.md) --- > Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/277680490.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/277680490.md) # Apple raises MacBook prices across the board, with the M5 chip and new display marking an AI-first strategy Apple launched new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models equipped with the latest M5 chip on Tuesday, while also updating the Studio Display monitor series, marking the largest update to the Mac product line in over a year. This move provides a new opportunity for Apple to boost Mac demand, while further emphasizing that more AI tasks will be performed locally on devices rather than relying solely on the cloud. The release comes at a critical time for Apple's Mac business: Mac sales during the holiday quarter fell nearly 7% to $8.39 billion, well below analysts' expectations of nearly $9 billion. The new models aim to encourage users to upgrade, especially those still using older Intel chip computers or earlier M series devices. However, the prices of the new products have also increased, with tight memory supply driving up costs, and suppliers favoring the more profitable AI data center market over consumer hardware. Apple Macbook Pro The starting price of the 13-inch MacBook Air has risen from $999 to $1,099, while the 15-inch model has increased from $1,199 to $1,299, with Apple doubling the base storage to 512GB. The MacBook Pro has also seen price increases: the 14-inch M5 Pro version starts at $2,199, and the 16-inch M5 Max version is priced at $3,899, up $400 from the previous generation. To support the price increase, Apple has raised the starting storage for the Pro series: the M5 Pro version starts at 1TB, and the M5 Max version starts at 2TB. But the bigger selling point lies in performance. Apple positions the M5 Pro and M5 Max as significant upgrades for high-load tasks, particularly for AI scenarios. Apple claims that the new MacBook Pro processes large model prompts nearly 4 times faster than the comparable M4 models and 8 times faster than the M1 models, all without sacrificing battery life. This is a core initiative for Apple to make the Mac a reliable platform for running advanced AI tools locally—an increasingly important capability for businesses looking to keep sensitive data off cloud servers. Apple Macbook M5 pro and M5 Max Apple simultaneously updated its display product line, replacing the outdated Pro Display XDR with the all-new dual-series Studio Display. The base model Studio Display starts at $1,599, while the high-end Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299, targeting professional users with higher brightness, mini-LED backlighting, and higher refresh rates. This creates a clear distinction between Tuesday's launch event and Monday's focus on cost-effective products, where Apple also released a new low-priced iPhone. The overall strategy remains unchanged: to provide stronger upgrade reasons for users at different price points without weakening the high-end product line. The market is still paying attention to the new products that may be announced on Wednesday. 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