ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple just held its annual iPhone launch event on Sept. 9.
- The company added a new foldable, the iPhone Duo, and the iPhone 18 lineup.
- Older iPhone models have increased in price since the event.
Each year, Apple temporarily closes its online store on the day of its iPhone event while it prepares its catalog to include the latest devices. This helps the company avoid accidental leaks from publishing a product listing too early, and it builds anticipation among members of the press, who champ at the bit to see the new products.
This year, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 lineup, the first foldable iPhone, two new Apple Watch models, and new AirPods during its Sept. 9 event.
Also: iPhone Duo hands-on: The $2,000 foldable has some magical touches
When the online store reopened, however, we noticed that some older iPhone models were priced higher than they had been the day before, lending new meaning to the event’s Surprise and Shine theme.
Older iPhones have gone up
The iPhone 16 retains its starting price of $799, but the prices of the older iPhones have gone up by $100. The iPhone 17e has risen from $599 to $699. Similarly, the iPhone 17 base model went from $799 to $899. The iPhone Air, which had a starting price of $999, now costs $1,099.
Also: How to preorder the new iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and everything else Apple announced
This comes a few months after Apple implemented widespread price increases of between 15% and 25% across the Mac and iPad lineups.
Price increases unavoidable
Tim Cook, Apple’s former CEO before John Ternus took over the position on Sept. 1, told The Wall Street Journal in June that price increases on Apple products were unavoidable.
“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” Cook told the WSJ at the time.
Also: iPhone 18 Pro hands-on: I came for the Burgundy and stayed for the dual-aperture cameras
The price increase Cook referenced in June was expected to affect the product lineup announced at the September event, but existing Macs, MacBooks, and iPads also increased in price in late June and early July, including the MacBook Neo.
Initially released as an inexpensive alternative for MacBook users, the MacBook Neo was launched with a $599 price tag. Since then, its price has increased by $100 to $699.
Driven by AI demand
Price hikes in technology aren’t uncommon — there’s a widespread shortage of memory and storage chips driven by AI demand.
Many AI companies are driving strong demand for DRAM and NAND chips used in consumer electronics to fuel AI data centers and hardware. As a result, the price of these components has increased, leading to higher sticker prices for the devices.
