Apple price hikes 2026: iPhone 18 Pro above AED 4,7 - Tbreak Media

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company will raise hardware prices in 2026 due to a global shortage of memory and storage chips, driven by heavy spending on data center infrastructure by AI comp... Read original →

The AI data center gold rush for HBM memory is triggering a 'chip squeeze' across consumer electronics. Apple’s price hikes reveal the limits of its vertical integration—even with Apple Silicon, it remains hostage to DRAM/NAND pricing controlled by Micron and Samsung. The Mac mini’s $200 jump signals a strategic shift: offloading cost pressure onto entry-tier products, risking erosion in education and SMB segments. Samsung and Dell have already passed on costs; Apple’s delayed response suggests its inventory buffers are exhausted. Over the next 12 months, if TSMC and advanced packaging capacity in Taiwan, China remain prioritized for AI, non-AI device allocations will worsen. Crucially, premium hardware is accelerating toward 'luxury good' status—consumer tolerance for innovation premiums is resetting. Cook’s era of price discipline is over; Apple’s pivot to cost-driven pricing marks the first tremor in its post-iPhone profit model.