Apple May Reportedly Raise iPhone, Mac Prices Amid Memory Chip Shortage, Tim Cook Says

Apple is said to be preparing price hikes across its product portfolio. According to a report, rapidly rising memory and storage chip costs could pressure the Cupertino-based tech giant into driving up the prices. In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that price increases may be unavoidable as the company grapples with a global shortage of memory components driven by booming demand from AI data centres. The Apple executive, however, did not reveal which products could become more expensive or when the changes might take effect.

Tim Cook Says Rising Memory Costs Could Force Apple to Increase Prices

In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal, Tim Cook acknowledged that Apple has been attempting to shield customers from rising component costs. However, the executive admitted that the iPhone maker may no longer be able to absorb those increases in the future.

"Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," Cook reportedly said. "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."

Cook highlighted rising concerns around the shortage, as well as the sharp increase in prices of DRAM and storage components. In recent months, manufacturers have increasingly prioritised high-bandwidth memory (HBM), used in AI servers, over components intended for consumer electronics. This shift is said to have affected the supply chain and caused prices to see a sudden jump.

The Apple CEO also added that the company was exploring ways to help increase memory supply through its financial resources. However, Cook reiterated that Apple has no plans to manufacture memory chips itself.

Apple's concerns come soon after a DigiTimes Asia report claimed that the iPhone 18 lineup could ship with 12GB of RAM, up from the 8GB found in current-generation models. The move aims to reportedly support more advanced Siri experiences and AI-powered features arriving with iOS 27. At the time, the report suggested Apple intended to maintain existing pricing despite the memory upgrade.

However, Cook's latest comments indicate that the strategy could be under pressure.

The Wall Street Journal also claims to have examined how rising component costs could affect future iPhone pricing. Citing estimates from market research firm TechInsights, the report claimed that DRAM costs for a base iPhone 18 Pro could rise from approximately $39 (roughly Rs. 3,700) to $145 (roughly Rs. 13,700). Meanwhile, storage costs could see an increase from $13 (roughly Rs. 1,200) to $51 (roughly Rs. 4,800).

Combined with other costs, including manufacturing expenses, the publication claimed the cost of producing the base iPhone 18 Pro could rise by nearly 25 percent compared to the iPhone 17 Pro. Consequently, Apple may hike the price of the handset to $1,299 (roughly Rs. 1.23 lakh), compared to the $1,099 (roughly Rs. 1.04 lakh), to maintain its profit margins.