Apple Mulls Price Rise For iPhone Pro – Report
Amid popularity of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, Apple is reportedly considering raising the prices for new Pro handsets
Apple is considering raising the price of its high-end iPhone Pro when the new models are unveiled this Autumn.
According to Bloomberg News, which cited people familiar with the matter, Apple is aiming to keep iPhone shipments steady despite the global economic turmoil during 2023 and a projected decline in the overall smartphone market.
Indeed, Apple is reportedly asking suppliers to produce about 85 million units of the iPhone 15 this year, roughly in line with the year before.
Image credit Apple
Raising prices?
According to the Bloomberg sources, despite producing roughly the same number of iPhone Pro models, Apple is likely to increase its revenue overall as the firm is reportedly considering raising the price for Pro models.
Since 2019, Apple has sold high-end iPhone Pro models that starts (in the US at least) at $999.
The bigger Max model comes with a larger screen and US pricing for that starts at $1,099.
Apple is widely expected to reveal its new iPhone 15 handsets at its usual time of September.
The report noted that Apple did not hike prices for new iPhone models in the US during the Covid pandemic, despite dealing with parts shortages and inflation pressures.
Apple does however often change prices for its products around the world in response to currency fluctuations, as users in the United Kingdom for example can attest after notable price rises in the past two years.
USB-C charger
Apple’s iPhone portfolio is widely expected to drop its iconic but long-in-the-tooth Lightning port, in favour of a USB-C charger.
The lightning connector was introduced in September 2012 (with the iPhone 5) to save space on Apple’s previous 30 pin connector design.
Apple all but confirmed this change last October, when Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, was quoted as saying “obviously we’ll have to comply.”
This was in response to a new law being passed in Europe.
The European Union had last October finally agreed a common (or universal) charging standard (USB-C) for all mobile devices.
This meant that from 2024, all electronic devices will need to support USB-C charging.
