Apple price hikes point to wider cost increases across tech sector

Apple price hikes point to wider cost increases across tech sector

Apple has revealed that its prices will rise this year as a result of surging component costs across the computer hardware sector. An RMIT expert explains what’s driving the increases and why consumers can expect to feel the impacts across all technology brands. 

Professor George Buchanan, Deputy Dean of Research, School of Computing Technologies: 

"Cynics will claim that Apple is price-gouging, but its massive supply chains have actually made prices more stable than their competitors. 

"Since the end of 2025, almost every component of laptops or mobile phones has risen sharply, particularly memory, processors, graphics cards and hard drives, due to AI businesses such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic desperately buying increasingly large volumes of computing hardware. 

"While production has risen, the component manufacturers can only increase capacity over years, not months. The world’s computer memory production for the whole year sold out before March, graphic cards in February, and hard drive storage before April.  

"The cost of Apple products may only get more expensive with lagging supply from this year compounded by rising demand in 2027. 

"And for mainstream PC manufacturers and affordable phone producers, the shocks are going to be even greater. Your Christmas technology gift, phone, laptop or iPad is going to be a lot more expensive, whatever the brand."

Professor George Buchanan is a world-leading researcher on large-scale information systems and has contributed to a book on the usability of government systems. He has worked for the United Nations and UK Government on strategic IT projects. 

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General media enquiries: RMIT External Affairs and Media, 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au

19 June 2026

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19 June 2026

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