According to DigiTimes, Apple Inc plans to raise the price of the upcoming iPhone 13 series to make up for the rising chip costs caused by the price rise of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, its main chip supplier, so as to "reduce the impact of rising costs on its profitability".
It is reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd has recently informed all IC design customers that the scope of wafer foundry fee increase will be expanded and will be increased across the board from the fourth quarter. Among them, the price of the advanced process below 12nm is increased by 10% and the mature process above 12nm is increased by 20%. According to sources, Apple Inc is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd's biggest customer, whose orders account for more than 20 per cent of fabs' revenues, and the increase for Apple Inc will be 3 per cent and 5 per cent.
Analysts say that although faced with rising production costs, brands may eventually pass the costs on to end-market customers. A number of notebook brands have raised prices by 5-10% so far this year, and they continue to explore how to mitigate the impact of rising costs on their profitability.
According to the data, Apple Inc is preparing to make some major improvements to iPhone 13 this year, including features designed for professional photographers and cameramen. On the high-end models of the upcoming iPhone product line, it is rumored that Apple Inc will increase support for ProRes video and portrait mode video. Apple Inc may see these two functions as reasons for the rise in the price of his most upscale iPhone.
Apple Inc is expected to hold an autumn launch in a few weeks, including the iPhone 13 series and Apple Watch Series 7.