Apple has warned that it may increase the prices of its products as rising costs of memory chips continue to put pressure on the technology industry.
Tim Cook, Apple’s outgoing chief executive, told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that price increases are “unavoidable” because the current situation in the memory chip market has become “unsustainable.”
He did not specify when the price changes would take effect or which products would be affected. It also remains unclear whether Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18, expected to launch in September, will be included in any price adjustments.
Memory chips are a core component in smartphones and other electronic devices, but a surge in demand driven by artificial intelligence has pushed prices sharply higher in recent months.
“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” Cook told the WSJ.
“There’s less supply at a time when consumers want devices and the memory guys are passing along huge price increases,” said Cook, who is due to be replaced by John Ternus as Apple’s CEO in September after 15 years in the role.
“We definitely need memory pricing and supply to return to reasonable levels for consumer products. That’s the bottom line.”
Cook’s remarks come amid wider concerns across the tech sector over chip supply and pricing pressures.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC this month, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company did not rule out possible price increases, as inflation continues to raise production costs.
TSMC manufactures some of the world’s most advanced chips designed by firms such as Apple, Nvidia and AMD.
Earlier in the year, Samsung also warned that ongoing memory chip shortages could push up the cost of electronic devices.
The price of RAM—often considered one of the cheapest components in computing—has more than doubled since October 2025.
Beyond surging AI demand, the war in Iran has further strained global supply chains by disrupting helium supplies, a gas essential in semiconductor production, adding to overall manufacturing costs.
Apple’s iPhone 17 has seen strong demand since its launch last September, helping drive a 17% year-on-year increase in device sales in the first quarter of 2026, particularly in China.
Earlier this year, Apple also raised the starting price of its Mac Mini compact computers by about $200 (£150).
