With All Attention On iPhone X, Apple Inc. Quietly Raises iPad Pro Price

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Apple made all its announcements on Tuesday with all the noise it could, but there was one thing that it did secretly. The iPhone maker quietly raised iPad Pro prices for the 256GB and 512GB models by $50. MacRumors first spotted the change; otherwise, we might not have known it for a while.

iPad Pro prices raised by $50

The 10.5-inch 256GB and 512GB Wi-Fi models were launched in June with price tags of $749 and $949, respectively. Now with the price hike, these models cost $799 and $999, respectively. For the models with cellular capability, the new prices are $929 and $1,129. The prices were increased outside the U.S. as well. For instance, the 256GB Wi-Fi model in Australia now costs A$1,199 (up from $1,129). The same model in the U.K. costs £769 (up from £709), notes The Verge.

It must be noted that the prices of the 64GB variants were not touched. As of now, there is no official information why Apple raised iPad Pro prices. However, in June, Reuters reported that there were supply shortages of DRAM and NAND memory chips, which are used to provide storage in iPads. At the time, Reuters claimed that the shortage would “seriously hit” Apple and Samsung, even though both managed to secure their supplies (at higher costs though).

The NAND flash storage shortage can be attributed to the rising demand for SSDs and the shift from 2D NAND to 3D NAND memory chips. Even Apple, due to the fact that it consistently ships millions of iPhones, can partly be blamed for the shortage.

Memory chip shortages to blame

During Apple’s second-quarter earnings call earlier this year, CFO Luca Maestri also admitted that the company was experiencing supply shortages of memory chips, according to 9to5Mac. Apple is starting to experience “some level of cost pressure on the memory side particularly on NAND and DRAM. To offset that and actually do better than that, we had very good cost performance on other commodities,” Maestri said at that time.

Now it appears that the company has finally decided to pass on the increased cost to buyers. As of now, it is not known if Apple will roll back to the earlier prices once the supply level normalizes.

Meanwhile, Best Buy has updated the pricing of the iPad Pro to reflect the recent price increase. Others have yet to do so. If you were planning to buy a higher-capacity iPad Pro, it is wise to buy now from the sites that have yet to update their iPad Pro prices. Some Apple-authorized resellers, like Adorama, Abt Electronics and MacMall, are offering instant discounts and free shipping, notes AppleInsider.

Another thing that was not announced on Tuesday was the discontinuation of the (Product) Red iPhone 7. The change, however, is evident on Apple’s digital storefront, which now no longer lists the product.

On Tuesday, Apple shares closed down 0.42% at $160.82. Year to date, the stock is up almost 39%, while in the last year, it is up almost 56%. In pre-market trading today, the stock was in the red.

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