Well, for starters, before you start cursing and give yourself an aneurysm like I almost did, it’s not Apple’s fault they’re thinking about increasing the cost of the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup.
Apparently, the chip shortage we’ve been hearing all about was actually much more serious than we thought. That may have even been the reason we didn’t get the redesigned MacBook Pro we thought we were getting at WWDC this year.
Just a couple of days ago the headlines read “Chip shortage currently affecting ‘everybody but Apple,’ report says.” Well, that aged poorly, and this is why…
According to a report from DigiTimes, as a way to compensate for the increased cost of chip production from their leading chip supplier, TSMC, Apple is reportedly planning to increase the price of the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup. Yep, that doesn’t sound like they went unaffected…at all.
According to the report, DigiTimes, which currently holds a 61% accuracy track record on AppleTrack, TSMC plans to increase the cost of chip production by as much as 20%, which will effectively impact many of its customers, including Apple. The 20% figure is reportedly for TSMC’s “advanced and mature process technologies.”
“TSMC has reportedly notified customers of price increases by as much as 20% for its advanced and mature process technologies, with the new prices set to be effective starting January 2022. The price adjustments will also be for the orders scheduled to be fulfilled starting December.“
– DigiTimes
“For TSMC’s advanced sub-7nm process technologies, quotes will rise by 3-10%, the sources indicated. Apple, the biggest client of TSMC with its orders accounting for over 20% of the foundry’s total wafer revenue, will experience a 3-5% price hike, the sources said.“
As a way to make up for the increased cost of chip production needed for the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup, Apple is looking to proportionally increase the price of new iPhones in order to “mitigate the impact of rising costs on their profitability.”
We don’t blame them at all. Business is business. Let’s just hope this report is wrong, I mean, it is DigiTimes.
