Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed that Apple will raise prices across its entire product lineup. The culprit is a massive global crunch in memory and storage chips. Surging demand for AI components has severely disrupted the supply chain. Therefore, consumers will soon have to pay more for their favorite Apple devices.
The Global Memory Crisis
Cook revealed these plans during an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal. He stated that soaring component costs have made price increases completely “unavoidable”. Furthermore, he explained that Apple tried to absorb the costs initially. During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said:
We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us.
However, he admitted that shielding customers has become unsustainable.
The outgoing CEO highlighted the unprecedented nature of this crisis. In fact, he claimed he has not seen anything like this market disruption in over 40 years. Cook noted that suppliers are passing along massive price hikes precisely when consumer demand is high. Consequently, the industry needs memory pricing to return to reasonable levels.
Other major tech giants face the same struggle. Recently, companies like Samsung, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Valve acknowledged the severe impact of skyrocketing RAM prices.
Impact on the iPhone 18 & Future Apple Devices
Apple recently wrapped up WWDC 2026. Now, the company is just a few months away from launching the highly anticipated iPhone 18 lineup. Consequently, these upcoming smartphones will undoubtedly cost more than the previous generation. Moreover, new MacBooks and iPads arriving later this year will likely feature higher price tags. Even existing Apple products could see a price bump as the component shortage continues.
Interestingly, Cook’s decision to announce this news himself seems strategic. He is absorbing the public relations hit on his way out. This diplomatic move spares his incoming successor, John Ternus, from facing the initial consumer backlash over device pricing.
Why Pakistan Will Bear the Full Brunt
This global pricing shift brings bad news for Pakistani consumers. Apple does not maintain an official corporate presence in Pakistan. Furthermore, the company operates no local assembly lines within the country. Therefore, Pakistani buyers will not benefit from any regional pricing advantages. Instead, they will have to swallow the full global price hikes.
Contrast this with Samsung’s recent approach. Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series in Pakistan at highly competitive prices compared to the US market. Samsung achieved this because it officially operates within Pakistan. Moreover, the Korean tech giant utilizes local assembly plants. This infrastructure allows Samsung to lower prices and shield local consumers from global market fluctuations. Unfortunately, Apple fans in Pakistan do not have that luxury.
