Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple should absorb memory costs for iPhone 18

Apple could eat ugly memory costs, freeze iPhone 18 prices, and steal share while everyone else panics.

Why Apple is back in the spotlight

• Apple sits at the center of the DRAM mess.
• Rising DRAM and NAND prices trigger pricing fears.
• iPhone 18 cost chatter refuses to die.
• Supply stress drives nonstop speculation.

What the supply deal looks like

• DRAM LTAs only cover early 2026.
• Pricing talks moved to quarterly cycles.
• Stability every six months is gone.
• Suppliers hold more leverage.

What the analyst is arguing

• Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple should absorb costs.
• Raising prices wastes a rare opening.
• Flat pricing could grab market share.
• Services revenue cushions the blow.

How bad memory pricing really is

• Apple pays about 70 dollars per 12GB LPDDR5X.
• That marks roughly a 230 percent jump.
• Costs dwarf early 2025 levels.
• Pressure hits every high-storage tier.

Why this could actually work

• Rivals will not eat DRAM increases.
• Price stability becomes marketing ammo.
• Services cash flow offsets margin pain.
• Scale favors Apple in chaos.

Macs get pulled into the strategy

• The same logic applies to MacBooks.
• DRAM pressure hits notebooks next.
• Holding prices dents competitors.
• Share gains matter more than margins.

Who controls the supply side

• Samsung remains a key supplier.
• SK hynix also holds pricing power.
• Apple negotiators already went all in.
• The next move is strategic, not reactive.