Overview
- Apple CEO Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal that price increases are "unavoidable," a comment first reported on June 17 as the company grapples with sharply higher memory and storage costs.
- Cook declined to say which products will see higher prices, how much prices will rise, or when increases will take effect.
- Apple said it may deploy cash to help expand supplier capacity but will not build its own memory fabs, relying instead on suppliers such as Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron.
- Analysts and research firms report multi‑fold jumps in DRAM and NAND prices and estimate continued pressure through 2027, with TechInsights projecting roughly a $270 upward swing for a future iPhone Pro if Apple preserves current margins.
- Consumers could feel the effects before Apple’s expected September product cycle, with Macs and iPads flagged as possible near‑term targets, and the supply squeeze is likely to constrain availability, raise retail prices, and squeeze margins for device makers.