The Zhitong Finance App learned that, according to reports, due to the sharp rise in memory chip costs, Apple (AAPL.US) may raise the price of the iPhone 17 series ahead of schedule on August 10 (Monday), breaking the previous practice of not adjusting prices before the release of new models. Also, the well-known Apple “whistleblower” Mark Gurman revealed that Apple is most likely to hold this year's fall press conference on September 9.
Earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook had publicly warned of an industry crisis, defining the current memory chip price increase as a “once-in-a-century flood,” and product price increases are inevitable. The core reason for the sharp rise in memory chip prices in this round is that the global AI infrastructure boom has greatly crowded out chip supply in the consumer electronics sector, causing the prices of core components such as DRAM and NAND flash memory to continue to rise, and the cost pressure on Apple's supply chain has risen sharply.
Apple has raised prices for several product lines such as the iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and HomePod, but the prices of the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch have remained the same.
However, media recently reported that Apple will adjust the price of the iPhone 17 series on August 10, and the production capacity plan has also changed.
Breaking the rules? iPhone 17 early price adjustment or restructure new product pricing logic
Prior to that, the market generally predicted that Apple's next iPhone price adjustment window would be delayed until the release of the new iPhone 18 Pro model in the fall of this year, and that the new model would probably face tight supply and insufficient inventory.
At present, there are still many questions in the market: Does this price adjustment cover all iPhone 17 models? Are iPhone Air models affected? Will the iPhone 16 series, which is currently still on sale, follow up with price adjustments at the same time? More importantly, is this round of price increases a short-term cost hedging act, or is it an adjustment of Apple's medium- to long-term pricing strategy. How long will the price increase cycle last?
Looking back at Apple's pricing rules over the past few years, every year after the release of a new model in September, the price adjustment process is the same: first, every time a new series is released, the two Pro models are removed from the shelves and discontinued; secondly, the current price of non-Pro iPhones will also be lowered. For example, in September of last year, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus both dropped by $100; now they are priced at $699 and $799, respectively.
This round of price adjustments may affect the market's pricing expectations for the iPhone 18 series. According to reports, if the price of the iPhone 17 Pro rises from $1,099 to $1199, it may confirm previous industry rumors that the price of the iPhone 18 Pro series may increase by $200.
Similarly, if the standard iPhone 17 rises from 799 US dollars to 899 US dollars, even if there is a regular price reduction after the new model is released in September this year, its price bottom line will move up at the same time. Notably, the market anticipates that the standard version of the iPhone 18 may be delayed until spring 2027.
TrendForce Jibang Consulting's latest report indicates that due to rising prices of components, starting with memory, the overall cost of the iPhone 18 series that Apple will release will be boosted. Take the BOM (Bill of Materials) cost of the 256GB version of this series as an example. The estimated annual increase is about 38%, and the sales price of the whole machine is bound to increase. To avoid affecting consumers' desire to buy, Apple may control price increases by reducing gross profit in exchange for market share expansion.
Apple's fall press conference may be scheduled for September 9th
From the consumer side, every year August is the traditional low season for iPhone sales. Consumers generally choose to hold coins and wait. On the one hand, they wait for the new models to be released in September, and on the other hand, they expect the old models to experience regular price cuts.
However, if Apple actually adjusts prices on August 10, it will disrupt the traditional pace of purchasing machines.
Notably, the well-known Apple “whistleblower” Mark Gurman said that Apple is most likely to hold this year's fall press conference on September 9. Apple's biggest annual hardware conference is coming soon. At that time, Apple's new CEO John Turnus will also make his debut.
Judging from historical rules, Apple usually holds a new iPhone launch conference on the second Tuesday or Wednesday of September. Gulman pointed out that the biggest highlight of Apple's fall press conference this year was the folding screen version of the iPhone. Additionally, Apple will release iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and new Apple TV set-top boxes and HomePod mini.