The iPhone 17 Pro is a great phone to get before prices jump up. | Image by PhoneArena
Recently, outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview that price hikes were coming to possibly all of the company’s products due to rising memory costs. Though some took that to mean that the iPhone 18 would be more expensive, it’s more likely that the iPhone 17 and other current Apple products are about to see increases in price very soon.
Price hikes likely imminent
The smartphone industry is in turmoil, and the iPhone 17 will suffer just like its peers. | Image by PhoneArena
Industry insider Mark Gurman — who has a pretty strong track record for predicting developments regarding Apple — reckons that price hikes for Apple products are imminent. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made sense for Tim Cook to talk about this, and incoming CEO John Ternus would have announced the price hikes at the launch of the iPhone 18 instead.
Regarding Apple price hikes, have to imagine these are fairly imminent. No other reason to flag them now. I’d also note that Apple back to school sale is very imminent, and it could make sense to tie these together as a buffer. Either way this is happening soon. Not a fall thing.
If true, then the entire iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone 17e, the iPhone Air, the MacBook models, and almost all other Apple products are about to become more expensive.
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Apple couldn’t stave off the memory problem
The entire tech industry is suffering because of skyrocketing memory costs as AI data centers pop up left, right, and center. There were initial reports of how Apple was going to absorb these costs to capture more market share globally by positioning its products as more cost-effective alternatives.
The company was said to be doing this by buying up memory at insane prices without negotiating for better deals. Unfortunately, it seems like the cost is greater than Apple might have anticipated. If this happens, then the iPhone 18 might not be the best selling phone in the world like the iPhone 17 was this year.
The base iPhone 17 is excellent for the price, and the sales charts reflect that. | Image by Counterpoint Research
Is it time to get that iPhone 17?
It might not be worth holding out for the iPhone 18. | Image by PhoneArena
If you’ve been holding off of buying a new iPhone, this might be the best time to do so. Unless you want the iPhone 18 Pro or the iPhone 18 Pro Max later this year, an iPhone 17 Pro will also serve you well. Especially considering the fact that the iPhone 18 Pro feels like a filler episode.
The standard iPhone 18 model is most likely coming out early next year alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2 according to Apple’s new iPhone release schedule. Chances are that the memory crisis will have only worsened by then.
Will we ever come back from this?
I wonder if, whenever memory prices go back to normal, smartphone manufacturers will follow suit. There’s a pretty good chance that the new, inflated prices will just stick around even if demand for memory starts decreasing.
And if Apple is introducing price hikes for its phones, then you can bet that Samsung and Google will likely follow suit yet again.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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