In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Tim Cook announced that Apple can no longer absorb rising memory and storage costs. "Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," the CEO stated. "We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable."
Which products will be affected?
Cook did not specify which models will see price hikes or by how much. However, analysts predict that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, arriving in September, could cost more than the current iPhone 17 Pro. iPads and Macs may also see increases in the near future. Apple already raised the Mac Mini price by eliminating the entry-level model, moving from 599 to 799 dollars. Additionally, it removed several higher-tier Mac Mini and Mac Studio configurations.
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The reason behind the increases
Growing demand for memory chips from AI companies has led to supply shortages and higher costs. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple will need to "increase device costs substantially" to maintain current profit margins. Research firm TechInsights estimates Apple would need to raise the iPhone 18 Pro price by about $270 to preserve margins. "I've never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years," Cook commented, comparing the shortage to a hundred-year flood.
Cook emphasized that Apple does not plan to build its own memory factories: "We can't do everything; we know what we're good at." While manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are increasing production capacity, much of it is prioritized for server chips. Demand for consumer device chips continues to outpace supply. Apple needs more DRAM to support new AI features, as discussed in the article Siri AI in iOS 27 May Remind You to Take Breaks and That It's Not a Real Person.
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Apple is one of the world's largest memory buyers, but it is reluctant to sign multi-year agreements with large cash prepayments, as AI companies do. Several companies have already raised prices, including Samsung, Microsoft, Sony, and Dell. For more on how AI impacts flawed technologies, see Facial Recognition for Refugees: Flawed Tech Is No Excuse. For further details on memory chips, visit the Wikipedia page on DRAM.
Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/17/apple-increasing-prices
