technology
Tech firms raise some device prices while cutting RAM and storage options
Valve priced its Steam Machine starting at $1,049. Microsoft and Apple adjusted Surface and MacBook pricing while Xbox increased console costs, citing memory and storage price spikes.
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Valve announced the Steam Machine base model at $1,049 with 512 GB storage and no controller included. A bundled controller adds $79, while the 2 TB model costs an additional $300. The high-end configuration with controller reaches $1,428.
The Verge reported that the device offers performance comparable to the PS5, which launched six years earlier. ” The company stated in an interview published the week of June 25, 2026, that suppliers will stop talking to the company if it does not accept offered prices. Microsoft introduced a 12-inch Surface Pro at $849 and a 13-inch Surface Laptop at $949, both with 8 GB RAM.
The company reduced RAM in the new base models from 16 GB to 8 GB. These prices remain below the previous base levels of $1,049 for the Surface Pro and $1,199 for the Surface Laptop. Apple announced price increases on June 25, 2026, for MacBooks, iPads, HomePod, and Apple TV.
The MacBook Neo starting price rose from $599 to $699. Apple stated to Bloomberg that the hikes resulted from component cost increases “at a scale the company has never seen” because of the data center boom. Xbox raised console prices by $100 or more, setting the Series S starting price at $499.99.
Microsoft said in a blog post that console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and that another doubling is expected by the fall of 2027. The six-year-old Series S is affected by the same component pressures noted across the other announcements.
