Apple will squeeze every last penny out of us. New equipment will be more expensive
The coming months may prove to be extremely difficult for fans Apple. According to new reports, long-term contracts with memory suppliers DRAMThat is Samsung and SK hynixdo not provide the company with complete peace of mind for the entire year 2026. They only protect the first half, and this means real risk of equipment price increases in its second part.
Only three companies in the world benefit from the current situation
Though The giant from Cupertino has been considered a master of negotiations for years and often creates conditions that the competition can only dream of, this time the room for maneuver is clearly limited. Company sources say year-long contracts were the norm, however the current memory market crisis has forced Apple to compromise.
And so the insanely high memory prices are expected to increase further – by 70% for DRAM and 100% for NAND. This means that even the largest companies are unable to negotiate rates similar to those from a year ago. And now Apple is apparently paying about $70 for a 12GB LPDDR5X modulewhich means an increase of over 200% compared to the beginning of 2025.
According to leaks, models such as the iPhone 17e or MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max systems should still fit under current contracts and avoid price increases. However, the problem begins with the next generation of smartphones – the series iPhone 18. With millions of units sold, even a small difference in component costs translates into real changes in price lists.
It doesn’t end there. The redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED screen and M6 chip could also go up significantly in price. Changing the matrix is just one piece of the puzzle, which includes more expensive RAM and SSD and other design changes. So either electronics manufacturers will begin to teeter on the verge of profitability, or consumers will have to prepare much more cash.
