Apple silently increases iPad Pro pricing due to flash storage shortage

Price hikes aren’t exactly popular with the masses but sometimes, the market necessitates them. That appears to be the case with some of Apple’s iPad Pros.

Apple on Tuesday during its first-ever press event at its new campus unveiled refreshed versions of several product lines including the iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV set-top box. The event also served as a distraction of sorts, allowing Apple to quietly raise the price of its 256GB and 512GB iPad Pro models by $50.

A 10.5-inch, Wi-Fi only iPad Pro with 256GB of memory, for example, would previously set you back $749 while the 512GB version commanded $949. They’re now $799 and $999, respectively. The price hike is also reflected across 12.9-inch models. Pricing on 64GB models remains unchanged.

Apple hasn’t publicly commented on the price hike but there are some plausible theories floating around as to its reasoning. The most prevalent and likely explanation is that limited supply and heavy demand for NAND flash has elevated prices. Rather than take the hit directly, Apple is pushing it to the consumer.

Uncertainty with Toshiba’s chip manufacturing business may have also indirectly impacted Apple’s decision.

If you’re in the market for a new iPad Pro, now may be the time to pull the trigger if you can find a retailer that hasn’t yet updated their listings to reflect the new prices (it looks as though Best Buy and B&H have already done so).