Technology · 10 July 2026
Why your next phone will quietly cost more
Illustration: AI-generated for editorial context. Not photographic evidence.
AI data centres are hoovering up the world's memory chips, and that shortage is now landing on shop shelves. Apple raised Mac and iPad prices by up to a quarter in June blaming memory costs, and Samsung's chip profits leapt nearly twentyfold on the same squeeze. Apple has warned more rises could follow if component costs stay elevated, and rivals face the same maths.
Reported by NBC News · How we write briefs