Apple Price Hike on iPhone, Mac and iPad 'Unavoidable' as AI Drives Memory Chip Costs Up Fourfold

Apple price hikes for iPhone, Mac and iPad are described as unavoidable due to AI-driven memory costs. Tim Cook said memory components now cost roughly four times what they did a year ago. He will hand over to John Ternus on September 1, with autumn launches likely priced higher. Cook argued demand for local AI tools on Macs was underestimated. Apple has removed higher-memory configurations, including 32GB and 64GB Mac mini options, and the 256GB Mac mini now starts at $799. TechInsights estimates the iPhone 18 Pro would need about a $270 price increase to preserve margins on a $1,099 device. Samsung reportedly doubled its DDR5 memory price to about $19.50.