Tim Cook admits that the increase in memory is already “unsustainable” for Apple and anticipates price increases in its catalog

Apple is beginning to publicly assume something that the hardware market takes for granted. It seems that the memory crisis is no longer a peripheral problem for the company and is now directly threatening the final prices of its products. According to statements attributed to Tim Cook to the Wall Street Journal, the company’s CEO has acknowledged that price increases have become “inevitable” and that Apple has tried to protect its customers for several quarters, although the situation has already become “unsustainable.”

The message fits with other warnings that Apple itself had already included in its financial results. Cook had previously indicated that the quarter ended in June was going to register a substantial increase in memory cost and that, beyond that period, the impact on the business would continue to grow. Now, the tone seems to go one step further, because it suggests that Apple will no longer be able to completely absorb this extra cost within its structure.

If this is confirmed, one of the first affected would be the future range iPhone 18especially in a context where Apple needs to increase memory in more models to support its new artificial intelligence functions locally. The pressure would not only come from RAM, but also from integrated memory, two components that have been becoming more expensive for months due to the diversion of productive capacity towards data centers and AI hardware.

Apple is no longer an exception in the midst of a memory crisis

Until now, Apple had managed to maintain a relatively more stable position than other manufacturers, at least externally. In fact, in this scenario it has launched two of its most affordable products, such as the MacBook Neo and the iPhone 17e. However, the market has been showing clear signs of tension for some time. In March we already told how the RAM crisis could extend even until 2030, after SK Group warned of persistent limitations in wafer capacity and a deficit that would not be resolved quickly.

This situation has had visible effects throughout the industry. We recently told you that the RAM memory crisis is forcing specifications and materials to be cut in smartphones, with manufacturers seeking to compensate for the extra cost of RAM and storage through more modest panels, less base memory or a return to cheaper materials. Apple had been relatively left out of that narrative, but the new statements suggest that that protection is running out.

In fact, in recent weeks some signs of stress had already appeared in the brand’s offering. The removal of certain specific configurations on equipment such as the mac mini or the mac studio fueled the idea that Apple was reorganizing its unified memory usage based on margins and availability. It was not definitive proof, but it was a symptom that the problem was already affecting product decisions.

Apple opens the door to move in supply capacity as well

Another striking point of the statements attributed to Cook is the idea that Apple would be willing to use its financial balance to be part of the solution. That phrase can be interpreted as a possible willingness to participate more actively in capacity agreements, supply expansion or investments linked to memory, something that would not be strange in a company with Apple’s size and negotiating power.

For now, there is no public roadmap or official confirmation of concrete measures. What this episode does make clear is that Apple no longer seems willing to maintain its role of exception any longer within an industry hit by memory. It is evident that, despite Apple’s own foresight, The crisis has also reached Cupertinoand that increases the chances that future releases will arrive with higher prices or with configurations readjusted to absorb some of the blow.