Memory-chip shortage linked to £100 iPhone price increase
Apple increased the price of all iPhones, including older models, by £100 during a recent product launch, according to the Guardian. The report attributes the change to a severe shortage of memory chips and other critical components, as demand from artificial-intelligence data centres absorbs available supply.
Apple raised the price of all iPhones by £100 during a recent product launch, including older models, according to the Guardian.
The report linked the increase to a severe shortage of memory chips and other critical components used in phones and other electronics. It said demand from artificial-intelligence data centres had absorbed available memory-chip supply.
The shortage, described in the report as “RAMageddon”, has reversed a long-term trend of electronics becoming cheaper.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
How much of the price increase is directly attributable to memory-chip costs rather than other components or pricing decisions?
Which suppliers and manufacturers have the greatest influence over the availability and price of memory chips?
How long could the shortage last if artificial-intelligence data-centre demand remains high?
What effects could higher phone prices have on consumers who continue using older devices?
What evidence would show that the broader trend of cheaper electronics has been permanently reversed?
YOUR QUESTION
Does this story leave you with another question?
Send us the question the report did not answer. It may become the next question IAQ investigates.
GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · JULY 2026