Prices are going up, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed a few days ago. While the exact products that will see the price rises weren’t named, nor how much prices will rise by, the timing of the announcement is revealing and will be important to rivals like Samsung and Google. Here’s what’s going on.
Why Tim Cook Announced Apple Price Increases Now
Announcing price changes now takes pressure off Cook’s successor as CEO later in the year.
First, it’s important to note that Tim Cook announced the price rises now, rather than leaving it to the next CEO, John Ternus, to be part of his tenure as the boss.
And one analyst, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, has suggested that the price rises are coming very soon. “Regarding Apple price hikes, have to imagine these are fairly imminent. No other reason to flag them now. I’d also note that Apple back to school sale is very imminent, and it could make sense to tie these together as a buffer. Either way this is happening soon. Not a fall thing,” Gurman said on X on June 18.
Gurman knows his stuff, but even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cook announced this early to own it, rather than passing it on and the actual price increases come later. Here’s why.
I’ve interviewed Tim Cook more than a dozen times and I am always left with the impression of someone decent and generous — it’s no surprise that he is handing over the reins before the September keynote, to give his successor the plaudits for the next range of new products. Most CEOs wouldn’t do that. With the price announcement, the increase is part of Cook’s legacy, not Ternus’s.
How Apple’s Pricing Strategy Liberates Samsung and Google
What does this mean for Apple’s rivals?
In one way, it liberates Samsung, Google and others to increase their prices as well. Actually, Samsung already did that with the launch of some of the S26 models in some countries.
But more price rises are highly likely, so in that sense rival brands will be grateful for the freedom Apple’s announcement has given them.
The Pricing Challenge Before the iPhone 18 Pro Launch
Exactly what Samsung and Google do will provide useful market information to Apple.
There’s also a downside for the other companies, though. After all, Samsung looks likely to announce its next phones in July, it’s been reported, almost two months before Apple reveals exactly how much prices will be for the next generation phones — even if the 17 series phones go up before then.
And the next Google Pixel phones will probably be revealed in August, also before Apple. Of course, these dates could change.
It means there’s also a challenge for Samsung and Google if those price rises don’t come straight away or if Apple reserves them for its other products instead. That could mean the iPhone 18 Pro is not much more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro, in which case Samsung or Google’s pricing could seem even higher.
And, let’s remember, Apple can adjust its price increases according to what its rivals announce — the Apple pricing won’t be announced until the keynote and you can read details of when that will be here.
Meanwhile, the base iPhone 18, expected to arrive in spring 2027, may suddenly appear to be better value than ever, especially if the component shortages that have caused costs to go up have begun to ease by then.