Apple (APPL) Considers Price Hike Amid Memory Crisis...Supply Chain Dominance Under Threat

▲ Car, semiconductor chip/AI-generated image

The memory crisis triggered by artificial intelligence (AI) is pushing even Apple (Apple, AAPL) to consider price increases, signaling the full-scale onset of cost shock in the consumer technology market.

According to U.S. economic media CNBC on June 19 (local time), Apple is preparing for an unusual measure of product price increases. The backdrop is a global memory shortage. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently stated that the memory supply situation is "unsustainable."

The potential for this price increase is seen as a signal that cracks have appeared in Apple's supply chain dominance. Until now, Apple has absorbed component price fluctuations by leveraging its immense purchasing power and long-term supply contracts. However, the pressure from the memory market could not be entirely avoided by Apple.

The memory shortage has worsened in conjunction with the surge in AI demand. The expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure has driven up demand for DRAM and storage devices. This structure puts pressure even on the memory volumes used by consumer device manufacturers. CNBC reported that this situation could directly impact Apple product prices.

Cook expressed the view that a price increase is inevitable. This means Apple can no longer solely bear the cost burden internally. The likelihood of changes in the pricing policy for major product lines such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac has increased.

This situation shows that the memory crisis is not merely an issue for the semiconductor industry. The competition for AI investment is shaking up the components market. Apple's move to increase prices is becoming a turning point for the cost shock to spread across the entire consumer device market.

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