Apple Plans iPhone 18 Launch Amid Chip Shortage Price Hikes

Apple Inc. is preparing to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone during a special keynote event projected for September 9 at the Steve Jobs Theater. New CEO John Ternus is expected to lead the presentation, which analysts believe will rely on pre-recorded videos rather than live demonstrations. If the schedule holds, the Pro models should go on sale September 18.

Concurrent with these launch plans, the company faces a global memory and storage chip shortage driven by AI data center demand. Tim Cook described the shortage as rare and severe, noting that it has already pushed prices up by as much as 20% for Mac, iPad, HomePod, Apple TV, and Vision Pro models, with iPhone prices in Japan rising up to 11%.

Supply chain reports from Fixed Focus Digital suggest that iPhone 17 prices could increase as early as August 10, potentially coinciding with the company's Back to School promotion. Analysts further predict that the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models will see price increases of $250 to $300, citing the costs of new 2-nanometer chips and continued memory inflation.