Last week, reports began swirling that Apple would soon raise prices due to “RAMageddon,” a term for the storage and memory chip shortage driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. However, it was unclear when exactly that would happen or which devices would take a hit.
Now, we have some answers. Apple raised prices on select MacBooks, iPads and HomePods on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the price increases, and Apple confirmed them to CNET.
But so far, iPhone prices have remained static.
In a statement to CNET, Apple cited strong demand for storage and memory chips as the reason for the significant price hikes, including increases of up to 33% for some devices. Demand for chips is rising because, in addition to being used in virtually every electronic device, they also power AI compute in data centers.
“We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple said in its statement. “We have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices on a number of products, including today’s increases for iPad and Mac.”
Given that every iPhone uses these chips, it’s logical to expect price increases to hit iPhones. The question is when.
“Just because Apple didn’t raise the iPhone’s price today doesn’t mean it won’t,” said Patrick Holland, CNET’s director of content for hardware. “The company typically announces new iPhone models in the fall, and if there is an increase, it would likely come then.”
The rumored iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models could arrive this September alongside a rumored foldable iPhone, which is expected to start at more than $2,000.
Outside of the Apple store, though, the prices have not yet increased on Apple products, and some are still facing deep discounts during Amazon Prime Day sales, which ends Friday. After the sale, though, prices may increase across the board and keep rising.
Our tech experts believe the new iPhone prices will most likely increase this fall, and other models could face cost hikes as well.
Apple’s most affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, increased $100, making it now $699.
“It’s entirely possible that the entire iPhone line could experience a price increase this fall too, since the cost of components is still going up,” said Mike Sorrentino, senior editor on CNET’s mobile team. “Normally we’d recommend waiting until the fall to buy a new iPhone, but this year could be an exception if you really do need a new phone since electronics costs are so volatile.”
Should I buy Apple tech now before prices increase more?
Ultimately, whether you purchase tech now comes down to personal budget and needs.
I, for one, have been wanting to upgrade my iPhone 13. The idea of waiting another year only to face a possible price increase of several hundreds of dollars has made me consider taking the plunge now on an iPhone 17 Pro Max. But even without an increase, a $1,200 phone isn’t cheap.
This news has me considering whether I’m willing to spend that kind of money on a phone in the first place. With the possibility of more price bumps on the horizon, I’m considering a much more affordable Android phone, like the Pixel 10, for the first time in my adult life.
“If Apple raised iPhone prices, it would be wild and get a lot of attention, even more than the increases on other products we saw today,” Holland said.
Holland also noted that Apple is typically careful with pricing its most popular product but recently raised the “barrier of entry for the iPhone 17 Pro by doing away with a 128GB version that was $999 and making the $1,099 256GB model the cheapest pro phone people could buy.”
Given today’s $100 price increase on the MacBook Neo, the most affordable MacBook, Apple shows it is willing to raise entry-level prices as well.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
