By Shiraz Ahmed, Sartorial Wealth

The AI boom finally showed up somewhere you can see it: the price of a MacBook. On June 25, Apple raised prices across its Mac, iPad, and home-device lineup, by anywhere from $100 to $500 per product, saying it had never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly. Days later, Apple was reported to be lobbying the White House for permission to buy memory chips from a blacklisted Chinese supplier. When a company that famously controls its supply chain is doing both at once, you are looking at a real shortage, not a blip.

What happened

The cause sits upstream. Micron posted a blowout quarter with a record 84.9% gross margin and revenue up sharply year over year, said its own DRAM prices rose in the low-60s percent range in the quarter, and warned that tight conditions will persist beyond 2027. The reason is the AI buildout. Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung, who together control most of the world’s memory, are redirecting production toward the high-bandwidth memory that powers AI data centres. That pivot starves the consumer market of the conventional DRAM and storage that go into laptops, tablets, and phones, and the shortage is now flowing straight through to retail prices.

Apple goes to Washington

Here is the tell. Apple is reportedly seeking US approval to buy DRAM from China’s CXMT, a supplier the US Department of Defense has flagged as a military-linked company. Apple is even said to be asking for assurance that CXMT will not be added to a more restrictive trade blacklist. A company with Apple’s leverage does not go shopping at a politically sensitive supplier unless the squeeze is real. The strain is system-wide: the same week, Alphabet reportedly capped Meta’s use of its Gemini AI models, citing infrastructure constraints. From chips to compute, the whole stack is running tight.

The market whiplash

Markets felt it too. Early in the week, a sharp momentum unwind hit the high-flyers, with Korea’s Kospi down about 10%, before memory and semiconductor names rebounded by Thursday. This is the kind of round trip that punishes anyone trying to trade it tick by tick. The signal underneath the noise is steadier: demand for AI infrastructure is outrunning supply, and that is showing up in pricing power for the companies that make the picks and shovels.

Why a cross-border investor should care

Most of our clients hold their technology exposure through US accounts, inside an RRSP, a 401(k), or a US brokerage account. When a handful of names drives the index, concentration cuts both ways, and a violent week like this one is felt most by those who are unknowingly overweight. The theme is real, but the way you own it matters. We lean toward the picks and shovels, the memory makers, the equipment, the power, and the data-centre infrastructure that get paid as the buildout continues, rather than chasing whichever single name is in the headline that morning.

The discipline

Numbers do not lie, and the numbers here point to a multi-year supply imbalance, not a one-week story. That is a reason to stay invested through the volatility, sized correctly, not a reason to chase the rally or flee the dip. If you are not sure how much AI and semiconductor concentration is sitting inside your registered accounts, or how currency and account location are amplifying the ride, that is exactly the conversation to have before the next swing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are MacBook and iPad prices going up?

A global shortage of memory chips. Prices for the DRAM and storage that go into consumer devices have surged as chipmakers divert production to the high-bandwidth memory used in AI data centres. Apple raised Mac, iPad, and home-device prices on June 25 by $100 to $500 per product as a result.

What is the memory crunch?

It is the squeeze created when memory makers like Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung shift capacity toward AI-related high-bandwidth memory, leaving less conventional memory for laptops, phones, and other devices. Micron has warned the tight conditions will persist beyond 2027.

Why is Apple trying to buy chips from a blacklisted Chinese company?

Apple is reportedly seeking US approval to source DRAM from China’s CXMT to relieve cost pressure on its hardware. CXMT has been flagged by the US Department of Defense as military-linked, which makes the request politically sensitive and shows how tight supply has become.

Does this mean I should buy memory or chip stocks?

Not as a reaction to a headline. We prefer to own the AI theme through diversified exposure to the infrastructure beneath it, sized to your plan, rather than concentrating in single names after a run.

How does this connect to my cross-border accounts?

Most clients hold technology exposure through US accounts such as an RRSP or 401(k). That means US tech concentration, currency, and account location all shape how a week like this affects you, which is where a cross-border view helps.

Is this investment advice?

No. This is general information for context. See the disclaimer below and consult a qualified advisor about your own portfolio.

Sources

Raymond James, “the Open” (subscription client newsletter, no public URL) | Fortune | Reuters (via Investing.com) | CNBC | Investing.com

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational purposes only and reflects market conditions as of June 29, 2026. It is not investment, tax, or legal advice, and it does not account for your personal circumstances. Sartorial Wealth specializes in cross-border financial planning between Canada and the United States; we do not prepare tax returns. Markets and currency levels move quickly, and the figures cited may have changed since publication. Please speak with a qualified advisor before acting on anything here.