On Thursday, June 25, 2026, Apple sent shockwaves down the consumer tech industry by quietly updating its price list across its online storefront. The hike is surprisingly substantial, as prices of some MacBooks have observed a rise by over Rs 1 lakh.
Even though the iPhone category remains untouched, the entry-level MacBook Neo jumped from Rs 69,900 to Rs 79,900. MacBook Air saw a price hike of Rs 20,000 to start at Rs 1,49,000. The high-end configurations like the MacBook Pro spiked by a massive Rs 70,000.
Similar hikes have been observed for iPads, HomePods, and Apple TV 4K – all saw their prices pushed upward.
Apple has kept the prices of the iPhones unchanged. The iPhone 17 continues to carry an MRP of Rs 82,900, while the iPhone 17 Pro starts at Rs 134,900. Even the older generation iPhone 16 continues to sell at a price of Rs 69,900, unchanged from what Apple was charging previously.
So why has the iPhone been left undisturbed? To find out, we need to dig deep into why the prices have been altered.
Why has Apple raised the MacBook, iPad prices?
The main reason behind this unprecedented move is what outgoing CEO Tim Cook recently described as a “hundred-year flood” in the supply chain, i.e., a severe global shortage of memory and storage chips. Driven by the explosion in AI data centres, which are projected to consume up to 70% of total global DRAM production this year, component costs have skyrocketed.
“The memory market is experiencing a structural shift, driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and the resulting reallocation of industry resources toward data center demand,” notes Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR) in a statement to Financial Express Digital.
“This goes beyond the traditional cyclicality of the semiconductor industry and reflects a broader change in how memory capacity is being prioritised and consumed,” he added. As a result, the shortage has driven up component prices, leading brands to pass the increase on to customers.
“Apple has historically been among the best-positioned companies to navigate component cost volatility, given its scale, supply chain discipline, and purchasing leverage. Its decision to pass a portion of these higher costs on to consumers suggests that pricing pressures are becoming increasingly difficult to absorb, even for the industry’s most operationally efficient players,” adds Prabhu Ram.
Hence, RAM-dependent Apple products like the Mac and iPad have seen massive price hikes. The iPhone, too, is RAM dependent, but why has Apple exempted it from the price hikes?
Why has Apple not hiked the iPhone price?
The iPhone is a crucial product for Apple, acting as the easiest gateway into the Apple ecosystem. Unlike the Mac and iPad, the iPhone is easily the most accessible device, and hence, keeping it affordable is necessary. Here are some crucial reasons as to why.
1. The mid-cycle upgrade season
The most immediate reason for the iPhone’s price immunity is where it currently sits in its product life cycle. The current iPhone 17 generation has been on the market since last September. Unlike Macs and iPads, which are largely purchased directly from Apple or big-box electronics retailers, a significant portion of premium iPhones in India are sold through telecom partnerships, multi-year no-cost EMI structures, consumer finance schemes, and other promotional offers.
Raising the price of an existing iPhone model would upset these consumer finance agreements, complicate retail marketing campaigns, and cause massive friction with distribution partners. For Macs and iPads, Apple can change the price with the flip of a digital switch, since the volumes in consideration are far lower than those of the iPhone. For the iPhone, it would require disrupting a finely tuned retail ecosystem.
Furthermore, with heavy localised assembly of iPhones now taking place within India, Apple enjoys a buffer against import duties and short-term supply shocks – a luxury that the imported Mac and iPad lines do not enjoy.
2. The ‘Next-Gen’ price hike
For now, the iPhone doesn’t see any price hike. That doesn’t mean it won’t see anything in the future. With September approaching, Apple might be reserving the price hike as a justification for the next-gen upgrades, and the component costs.
Based on what the leaks have revealed so far, the next-gen iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to come with higher capacity RAM for running its latest Apple Intelligence experiences. 12GB of RAM might be considered a standard for the new models, as Apple’s advanced Siri AI functionalities in iOS 27 are strictly restricted to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air variants – the ones that come with 12GB RAM as standard.
From a consumer psychology perspective, it is far easier to justify a higher price tag on a brand-new, re-engineered phone than on one that’s already been sitting on the shelves for months. New colours and a couple of additional features could help Apple justify a price hike.
“I believe modest price increases with the upcoming iPhone 18 series are increasingly inevitable. Apple is likely to strike a careful balance through measured price increases, continued supply chain efficiencies, and greater vertical integration, while preserving the installed base that underpins its ecosystem,” says Prabhu Ram.
Industry insiders believe that when Apple inevitably raises iPhone prices by an estimated Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 this autumn with the iPhone 18 series, it won’t blame the supply chain as the reason for the hike. Instead, Apple would likely pitch it as the premium you pay for its new generative AI features and new upgrades.
“Future monetisation of premium AI capabilities, should Apple pursue that path, could provide an additional lever to offset rising component costs without relying solely on hardware pricing,” adds Ram.
3. Protecting the ultimate profit engine
The iPhone is not just a product; it is the financial foundation of Apple’s entire ecosystem today. It generates the lion’s share of Apple’s revenue and serves as the primary gateway for highly lucrative recurring services like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and Apple Pay.
As Prabhu Ram says, “The iPhone sits at the top of Apple’s flywheel. It is the primary acquisition device for the broader Apple ecosystem, including services, wearables, and subscriptions. Raising iPhone prices risks slowing that entry point, with downstream implications that extend well beyond hardware margins.”
A pricey iPhone might discourage its consumer base from the various digital platform subscriptions, leading to an overall drop in revenue. Even though services like Apple Music and Apple TV+ are now available on Android and other platforms, the primary draw for these platforms is routed through an iPhone.
“Apple’s services business, its highest-margin segment, depends on continued growth of the iPhone installed base,” says Prabhu Ram, suggesting that the iPhone sales are crucial for Apple to keep its services running.
Conclusion
The iPhone range currently continues with the prices unchanged. Apple hasn’t touched its most profitable gadget line yet. It might be reserving the price hike for the next-gen models due in September, but the current-gen iPhone 17 range stays unaffected by the industry-wide price hike.
Hence, if you were planning to upgrade your iPhone during this year’s festive season, now might be a good time to make the move. As the global supply chain struggles with the AI-infused demand, Apple may only manage to absorb the losses for a finite time, thereby giving consumers a short window to enjoy lower prices.