{"slug": "apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable", "title": "Apple's Tim Cook Says Price Increases Are 'Unavoidable'", "summary": "Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that price increases on Apple products are unavoidable due to rising costs of memory and storage chips, driven by the AI boom. The hikes come ahead of the expected iPhone 18 lineup and a rumored foldable iPhone starting at over $2,000. Cook did not specify timing or affected products, but the chip shortage is impacting the entire tech industry.", "body_md": "Months ahead of [Apple's expected iPhone 18 lineup](/tech/mobile/iphone-18-everything-we-know-about-apples-most-ambitious-lineup-yet/) release, [Apple CEO Tim Cook](/videos/whats-next-for-apple-without-tim-cook-at-the-helm/) is preparing consumers for a price hike.\n\nCook told[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-price-increases-memory-supply-199845b1) that, \"unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,\" stating that the company has faced rising costs on memory and storage chips used in its products. \"We've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,\" Cook told the publication.\n\n**Read more:** [What Is RAMageddon? Why AI Is Making Laptops and Phones More Expensive](https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/what-is-ramageddon-why-ai-is-making-laptops-and-phones-more-expensive/)\n\nThe latest rumors indicate the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models could arrive as early as September, potentially alongside a [rumored foldable iPhone](/tech/mobile/iphone-fold-what-we-know-so-far-about-apples-2026-foldable/) at a starting cost of more than $2,000. For reference, in 2007, an [8GB first-generation iPhone would have run you as little as $399](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2007/09/05Apple-Sets-iPhone-Price-at-399-for-this-Holiday-Season/). (That's about $637 in [2026 dollars](https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm).)\n\nThe timing of the rumored launch coincides with [John Ternus taking over as Apple CEO](/tech/mobile/challenges-facing-apples-new-ceo-john-ternus/) on Sept. 1, as Tim Cook steps down. Cook didn't clarify when price increases would occur or on which products, but memory and storage chips are used in every Apple device.\n\n**Watch this:** Latest on the Memory Shortage, New AI Rules for Oscars, and Custom Passes for iOS 27 | Tech Today\n\nThe price increase can largely be tied to the [AI boom](/tech/computing/ram-shortage-and-higher-laptop-prices-not-expected-to-end-this-year-or-next/). As more [AI data centers](/tech/services-and-software/gallup-poll-americans-dont-want-new-data-centers-near-them/) are being built around the world, they not only consume [massive amounts of water and electricity](/tech/services-and-software/features/ai-data-centers-are-coming-for-your-land-water-and-power/) but also require a huge amount of memory and storage. This has created a strong demand for the same type of chips used in phones, laptops, smart wearables and more electronics. Although the demand is clearly surging, the supply is still struggling to catch up.\n\nApple isn't the only company affected. These higher costs could continue on [everyday tech products well into 2028.](/tech/computing/ram-shortage-and-higher-laptop-prices-not-expected-to-end-this-year-or-next/)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable", "canonical_source": "https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apples-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable/", "published_at": "2026-06-18 14:53:54+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-18 15:57:23.175478+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-products", "ai-infrastructure", "ai-chips"], "entities": ["Apple", "Tim Cook", "iPhone 18", "The Wall Street Journal", "John Ternus"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-s-tim-cook-says-price-increases-are-unavoidable.jsonld"}}