Apple Canada quietly hikes price for storage and upgrades by up to $600 more

Apple quietly raised the prices of storage and RAM upgrades for several Mac and MacBook models in Canada.

A reader alerted us to the increased prices after noticing the shift when pricing out an M4 Mac mini on Apple's website. They said that the same configuration they purchased a few months ago now costs $300-$450 more in Canada.

Digging into Apple's website by using the Wayback Machine and looking at our prior coverage, we were able to confirm that the company increased the prices of several upgrade options for Mac and MacBook models.

Various upgrade options like extra RAM and storage have increased by as much as $600, depending on the part. Here's a short list of some of the M4 Pro Mac mini price changes:

• M4 Pro Mac mini 48GB RAM – $600, previously $500.
• M4 Pro Mac mini 64GB RAM – $900, previously $750.
• M4 Pro Mac mini 1TB SSD – $300, previously $250.
• M4 Pro Mac mini 2TB SSD – $900, previously $750.
• M4 Pro Mac mini 4TB SSD – $1,800, previously $1,500.
• M4 Pro Mac mini 8TB SSD – $3,600, previously $3,000.

A full list of price changes can be found in a publicly available Google Sheet.

The M4 Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iMac, as well as the M2 Ultra-powered Mac Pro, are all impacted by the increased prices. (Notably, the Mac Pro's absurdly expensive wheels have not increased in price.)

Left: Current M4 Pro Mac mini upgrade costs. Right: M4 Pro Mac mini upgrade costs recorded on Nov. 14, 2024.

The new MacBook Air upgrade add-on prices have shifted, though Apple just upgraded the model from the M3 chip to the M4, making it hard to track evidence using the Wayback Machine. Additionally, Apple lowered the base price of the laptop by $50, making it appear to be a better deal than before.

It's possible that the source of the price increase is the M4 chip, but since other M4-equipped Macs also saw price increases, that feels unlikely.

We weren't able to perform comparisons for the newly upgraded Mac Studio as we couldn't find enough relevant historical pricing information. iPhone and iPad prices appear to be unchanged.

Left: Current M4 Pro Mac mini upgrade costs. Right: M4 Pro Mac mini upgrade costs recorded on Nov. 14, 2024.

Apple adjusted prices on its website sometime between February 18th and March 10th, though it's not clear exactly when the company made the changes. The company declined to comment when contacted about the pricing changes, so it remains unclear why it increased the prices.

Given that the company sets its pricing in USD and then adjusts accordingly for non-U.S. markets, it's likely related to the shifting value of the Canadian dollar, inflation, or, possibly, the ongoing trade war.