News summary produced by Claude AI
Apple is preparing to increase the cost of AppleCare Plus coverage for Mac and iPad devices, according to reporting from Bloomberg. The price adjustment will affect only new subscribers, with monthly costs rising by $0.50 and annual costs increasing by $5. For example, AppleCare Plus for a new 13-inch MacBook Air would increase to $7.99 per month from $7.49, or to $79.99 annually from $74.99. Customers who currently maintain AppleCare Plus subscriptions will not see their rates affected by the change.
This move represents another step in a broader pricing strategy at Apple. The company previously raised AppleCare Plus prices for iPhones, demonstrating a pattern of adjusting service fees across product lines. The changes have not yet been reflected on Apple’s U.S. website or official terms of service, and the company has declined to comment on the matter.
The timing of the AppleCare Plus increase follows a series of hardware price adjustments announced last month. Apple raised prices on iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, HomePod, and Apple TV 4K devices, with increases ranging up to several thousand dollars. Apple’s leadership attributed these hardware cost increases to ongoing challenges in the semiconductor supply chain, noting that component shortages have made the situation financially unsustainable. Service price adjustments like the AppleCare Plus change may help offset some of the impact from elevated component costs on the company’s margins. The iPhone lineup remains the exception to recent price increases, though analysts have suggested that upcoming iPhone models later this year could potentially face upward pricing pressure.