1 week Ago
What will happen to iPhone pricing in the future is unknown, but a new report claims that Apple Stores have seen sales over the weekend from people who believe prices are going to soar. Here’s what we know so far. An Apple Store.
The report came from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who posted on X. “Employees from multiple Apple stores say they’ve been slammed over the weekend with people ‘panic buying’ because of anticipated price increases,” Gurman said. While the tariffs have been seen by some as causing price increases, the iPhone has come in for extra focus.
Some say that the price of the most expensive iPhone 16 Pro Max could rise from $1,599 to $2,300 while other analysts predict that making iPhones in the U.S. would mean they would cost $3,500.
Here are the things to bear in mind if you’re thinking of buying. First, the prices which have been floated, which Gurman in a separate post on X described as “Absurd, irresponsible, clickbait. Just completely pulled out of thin air,” don’t seem to take into other factors.
Apple may not pass on the full cost to consumers, for a start, reducing its profit margin instead. It may also work with supply chain manufacturers to drive down costs, and move some of its production to other countries with lower tariffs. And it’s doubtless seeking exemptions from the U.
S. government right now. Apple will have seen this coming.
As Gurman said in his Power On newsletter on Sunday, April 6 , “Along with many peers, Apple has been stocking up on inventory stateside for months in anticipation of the tariffs. Units already on US land aren’t subject to the levies,” meaning any price hike could be some time off. Higher prices could lead to a drop in demand, which might make them come down again, and some analysts think a price rise would be much lower than predicted, perhaps up to $150 on an iPhone 16 Pro Max, one said .
The bottom line is, if you were planning to buy an iPhone or other tech item now, you could save money if prices do rise soon. However, if doing so means getting into debt or racking up credit card interest, any savings could be quickly wiped out. And remember that there will almost certainly be a new iPhone series released this September, and if prices have risen before then, they may not go up again then, or perhaps not by much.
And the current crop of models such as the iPhone 16 will likely have a price cut at that point. The old rule for buying tech that the best time to buy is when you want the product applies still..
