09/01 update below. This post was originally published on January 7th
iPhone 15 prices are going up, Not down, as widely expectedAccording to the latest leaks. In a move sure to shock cash-strapped Apple fans.
write to HowToiSolveProlific anonymous leaker LeaksApplePro adds credence to claims last week that Apple would do just that iPhone 15 models at a “strong” price. The big difference is that the aggression was supposed to mean lower prices for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus Reverse disappointing sales. Instead, LeaksApplePro says Apple will make the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 UItra even more difficult.
“If sales of the iPhone 14 Plus are so bad, what is Apple planning to do with the iPhone 15 Plus so that the same thing doesn’t happen? The answer is simple: nothing,” the leaker explains. Apple will launch the iPhone 15 Plus alongside the other three models, and it will not change from what is already expected. The price will be the same, the volume will be the same, and so on. What Apple will do is spark more sales by raising the price of the iPhone 15 Pro.”
If true, this move will shock iPhone fans who have already dealt with them Significant price hikes internationallyLeaksApplePro believes these changes are now set to affect US customers as well.
“It’s something that was expected last year that Apple decided not to do, but rising production costs, inflation and shrinking profit margins are really starting to take their toll,” adds the leaker.
Update 01/09: LeaksApplePro has contacted me to warn that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra price hikes are unlikely to be limited to the US. Clarifying that previous iPhone price increases internationally “were due to currency fluctuations, not because Apple just decided to make it more affordable in those countries.”
In short: Apple may not see the price hikes it has in Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia with price hikes at all. This is despite the strength of the US dollar which has pushed the prices of the iPhone 14 range in those countries by 10-20%. Thus, the calculated price increase, LeaksApplePro claims, will come in addition to price adjustments for currency fluctuations.
To put this in context, there was an average price increase of €170 ($182) for the iPhone 14 Pro models in Europe, so a planned increase of around €100 ($107) for the iPhone 15 Pro would leave the average European buyer ( who waited two release cycles to upgrade), paid nearly $300 more for the iPhone 15 Pro than the iPhone 13 Pro. Even if it’s spread out over the cost of a two-year contract, that starts to show.
If true, it would be a brutal way for Apple to deal with what many saw as the iPhone 14 Plus’ biggest problem: its value proposition. For just $100, iPhone 14 Pro buyers get higher-quality build materials, a better camera system, a superior display (with Dynamic Island), and faster performance. Spanning a carrier contract for 2-3 years, the extra outlay is negligible.
In many ways, this is classic Apple: problem-solving, but only on its own terms. The iPhone 14 Plus models were not very expensive, and the iPhone 14 Pro models were understated. It also falls in line with the company’s broader strategy to make the Pro versions of the iPad, MacBook, and Mac significantly more expensive than the standard models.
The result is pricing that would create a $300 price gap between the same size professional and non-pro models:
- iPhone 15 – from $799
- iPhone 15 Plus – from $899
- iPhone 15 Pro – from $ 1,099
- iPhone 15 Ultra – from $ 1,199
Due to the closure of the Apple ecosystem and rumors of eye-opening upgrades to the iPhone 15 Ultra (incl Titanium construction And Dual front cameras), should prove the attractiveness of the domain as a whole. Moreover, many would argue that only Apple could solve the sales problem by increasing prices.
Well played, Apple. I played with distinction.
More on Forbes
“Freelance web ninja. Wannabe communicator. Amateur tv aficionado. Twitter practitioner. Extreme music evangelist. Internet fanatic.”