Apple Explains Why It Raised Prices on 14 Products Today

[Happy_John]

Greedflation.

How do we know it’s not about greedflation with Apple?

Greedflation is the idea that some companies increase prices beyond what rising costs would justify, using a period of inflation as an opportunity to boost their profit margins because consumers expect prices to rise anyway.

The strongest evidence is usually when profit margins expand substantially while the company attributes price increases mainly to inflation or rising costs. If costs were the sole reason, margins would tend to stay roughly the same rather than grow.

Because it's happening industrywide.

 

[iMac The Knife]

iPhone prices didn't go up. I wonder if this means that the iPhone 18 prices will still be in line with current prices or go up. I was holding onto my iphone 13 pro until this year, but it might not happen if it jumps $300...

Also, I think them raising prices on refurb Macs is stupid. That's just greedy.

iPhone 18 prices will go up for sure. You can make book on that.

 

[araquen]

Not that I am an expert, but it looks like the brunt of the increases hit the professional lines, which I get the reasoning for but I also fear the impact on actual professionals, since many are freelance and do not have the deep pockets of the old-school corporate professional paradigms.

That said, I also think the following:

Apple is banking on the adage that not everyone upgrades every year, but every year someone needs an upgrade, which has been their standard and is baked into their ecology/environmental calculations (Apple devices last longer in the wild (assuming the owner isn't abusing expensive electronic equipment), so there aren't as many hitting landfills even after reclamation efforts). And they are also banking on the "whales" (to purloin a gaming/gambling term - the folks who must have the latest and greatest). But I suspect Apple is also expecting a hit to their bottom line, unless they come up with something really enticing.

Apple isn't going to lower prices, rather they will conceive of more "value adds" that sweeten the pot for the higher prices, or they will re-engineer the consumer devices to have a lower price point, since the price hikes hit the consumer heavier than the professional (in theory, according to Apple's perceived logic). It would be easier to roll back the lower price hike on the consumer models. I just don't believe the pro models are going to get cheaper, but I do believe Apple will put more zhuzh into them make the cost more palatable.

My take is - if you were looking to upgrade, do so now if you can find a deal. That way, you can wait out the hike. I wasn't looking to buy this year anyway. All my devices are new-ish, with only my phone getting long in the tooth. But I can wait. I am aiming for the 19 or 20, depending on purely cosmetic decisions. That would put my current phone at 5-6 years, which has been my running average.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

Well, even the Mc Donald's Menu went from 6,49€ to 10,99€ to 12,99€ (with coupon) and it doesn't even require ram!

But McDonald's AI centre which put menu prices up needs a lot of RAM 🤣

 

[uburoibob]

Gotta love life in Trumpville. All so they can count their crypto currency faster.

 

[swingerofbirch]

we are working tirelessly to find solutions.

Have they tried looking in the margins?

Bet it's the last place they'll look!

 

[Wags]

it stinks the Apple TV 4K 4th generation has been delayed so much, for Siri AI stuff, that it will now incur a price increase it would not have if not for the delay.

Oof. We paying $200+ for this stream box.

Edit: holy crap $249 for ethernet version (128gb). That's insanity.

For device that’s 1346 days old. 😉

 

[turbineseaplane]

iPhone prices didn't go up.

Yet.
They will, don't worry.

 

[Unity451]

If history has taught me anything it's that once prices go up, they don't ever fully return.

 

[svish]

Very steep increase today. Hopefully the prices of these products will reduce a bit in 2 years time when RAM and SSD prices stabilze or reduce. Wonder what the pricing will be for upcoming redesigned MacBook Pro/Ultra. Think the foldable iPhone will definitely be at least $2199 and won't be surprised if it is even $2499 for the base storage.

 

[thadoggfather]

For device that’s 1346 days old. 😉

it blows my mind the ATV4k 2nd gen is using XR processor. and 3rd gen (current) iPhone 13.

 

[sw1tcher]

Makes sense, but I thought Apple had RAM contracts that gives them RAM at fixed price.

Contracts could have expired and then Apple had to sign new contracts at higher prices.

When Micron reported earnings last night, they said they signed 16 new long term (3 to 5 year) customer contracts, each one with a set floor (minimum) price and binding agreements to purchase a certain volume of Micron's chips.

Locking customers into these higher-priced new long term contracts is how Micon was able to grow their gross margin to 84.9% from 39% a year ago.

 

[963852741]

The message is clear - stop using glorified ML or get used to prices going up again and again.

 

[octopi]

There's no way the prices needed to go up this much. Apple have always overcharged on their ram and continue to do so. What? The're not making enough profit as it is? Plus, they have been extra sneaky.
Mac Mini M4 (NOT PRO) was £799 for the 512gig version as they took the 256gig version away. They have now put the 256gig version back in but at £799 pushing the 512gig version to £999 - so a £200 increase and not including on the list of products that went up in price. It has never, in the real world, even now, cost £200 for an extra 256gig of storage.

 

[sos47]

so, i get more when i trade with n an apple product?

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple is far from the only tech company that has raised prices in response to the memory chip shortage, with others including Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell, and more.

Microsoft just raised XBOX prices today.

Updated XBOX Console Prices - XBOX Wire

Effective August 1, 2026, the price of XBOX consoles will be increasing by US$100 for 512 GB models and US$150 for 1 TB models.

news.xbox.com

Effective August 1, 2026, we will be updating prices worldwide. The price of XBOX consoles will increase by US$100 for 512 GB models and US$150 for 1 TB models. We will also be sunsetting our 2 TB model.

 

[dukebound85]

so, i get more when i trade with n an apple product?

watch it be less

They got to make the margins on all aspects

 

[capamac]

The Apple //c was $1,295 in 1984 (w/o accessories such as a display.) That's $4,258 in today's dollars. But today you can get a Macbook Air (which, of course, includes a display) for $1,299, which is $412 in 1984 dollars.

On my local craigslist, people are selling older Intel iMacs for $75. Older PCs for $40. If you want a computer, it doesn't have to cost a lot.

 

[LFO8]

Gotta love life in Trumpville. All so they can count their crypto currency faster.

It’s not isolated to the States. The whole world is doing greedflation. Has been for quite a while. And pandemic gave all those shmucks the perfect excuse for it and then it really seemed to have spun out of control..

Greed is poverty. No matter how much you eat, you’ll forever remain hungry.

 

[con2apple]

Isn’t it obvious? RAM Prices!

And of course, Apple can't do without a portion of its absurdly high margins. Where would that get us... I mean the richest company in the world.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Even if the chip shortage was to sort itself out, Apple would never reduce prices.

It’s just a greedy company.

 

[tonywalker23]

If you haven't gotten any pay increases from your work in the last few years then you really need to find a new job.

What if you work at a place that isn’t for profit and your salary depends on their voluntary giving? And because many of them aren’t making more, they have even less money to donate than they did the last few years.

 

[jz0309]

Note to self ...

I should get a new case for my iPhone 13 Mini and be a little more careful with it.

Yea, I just made a note to myself too in that I should extend AC+ on my M1 Mac Studio for another year (it expires December 31) as that one now needs to last another 3 years or so

 

[Petite messe solennelle]

I got lucky!

On Monday I ordered a refurbished maxed out Mac mini, which suddenly showed up on the Apple Refurbished page.

I am also interested in a new maxed out MacBook Pro 16". The price last weekend was around 8.500 Euro. Now it is almost 3.000 Euros more... So, now I can say: I was interested.

 

[con2apple]

The Apple //c was $1,295 in 1984 (w/o accessories such as a display.) That's $4,258 in today's dollars. But today you can get a Macbook Air (which, of course, includes a display) for $1,299, which is $412 in 1984 dollars.

What about all the other numbers?
Have you compared what a worker could do in 1984 with his thousand-dollar salary to what he can do today?
No? Well, I’m not surprised. It would pull the rug out from under all those people who keep preaching that “compared to the past, everything is much cheaper now”

Here’s a little tip: The cost of living and consumer prices have risen much more sharply than wages. Significantly.