Tim Cook Says Apple Price Increases 'Unavoidable' Due to Memory Crunch
Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that the company will have to raise prices on its products due to soaring memory component costs driven by AI development, though he did not specify the amount or timing.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that price increases are unavoidable. He said the company is doing its best to mitigate the huge cost increases being passed on and has tried to shield customers from the hikes, but the situation has become unsustainable.
Cook did not provide specifics on the amount or timing of the price increases. With WWDC 2026 concluded, Apple is just months away from announcing the iPhone 18 lineup, which is likely to be more expensive than the previous generation. The same applies to any new laptops and tablets Apple unveils this year.
The surging demand for memory components, driven by AI development, has created an unprecedented crunch in supply chains. Cook remarked that he has never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years, emphasizing that the consumer product market urgently needs memory pricing and supply to return to reasonable levels.
Apple is not the first tech company to make such an announcement. Samsung, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Valve have all addressed the impact of soaring RAM costs and demand over the past few months.
