Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Product Price Hikes Are Inevitable
By publicly pre-announcing price hikes, Apple is breaking with its usual silence on pricing strategy, signaling that the AI-driven memory shortage is severe enough to force a rare advance warning to consumers and investors.
Reporting from 3 sources: ASCII.jp, Denfaminicogamer, GIGAZINE.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated in a June 17 Wall Street Journal interview that price increases for the company's products are unavoidable, citing surging costs for memory and storage driven by AI demand. Cook said high-bandwidth memory for AI servers is being prioritized, reducing supply for consumer devices and pushing up prices. He noted that while Apple has tried to protect customers, the situation has become unsustainable. Cook did not disclose the timing, specific products affected, or the amount of the increases. Multiple outlets reported that upcoming Macs, iPhones, and iPads are likely to see price hikes. The Wall Street Journal also published a separate analysis estimating that the next iPhone 18 Pro could cost $200 more than the current iPhone 17 Pro, based on rising component costs for memory and storage. Cook pointed out that memory prices and supply for consumer products need to return to reasonable levels. The announcement is unusual for Apple, which typically does not publicly signal price increases in advance.
Cook made the remarks in a June 17 Wall Street Journal interview. He said high-bandwidth memory for AI servers is being prioritized, reducing memory supply for consumer devices and causing prices to surge. "Unfortunately, price increases are inevitable," Cook said. He also said "supply is decreasing at a time when consumers are demanding devices, and memory manufacturers are implementing significant price hikes."
Apple recorded its highest-ever second-quarter revenue in fiscal 2026, driven by strong iPhone 17 series sales and Mac growth from AI demand. Cook noted that semiconductor costs have quadrupled since 2025. According to research firm TechInsights, memory costs for the iPhone 17 Pro were $39 but would rise to $145 for the iPhone 18 Pro, and storage costs would increase from $13 to $51. The Wall Street Journal estimated the next iPhone 18 Pro could cost $200 more than the current iPhone 17 Pro, which starts at $1,099.
TechCrunch noted that since Apple releases new iPhones every September, a price increase announcement at the September 2026 event is highly likely. At WWDC26 earlier in 2026, Apple announced "Siri AI," integrating Siri and Apple Intelligence, which requires increased on-device memory capacity.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.