Apple Raises Prices on Everything!

Summary of Apple Raises Prices on Everything!

by MKBHD

1h 18m•July 3, 2026
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Overview of Waveform Podcast

This episode centers on Apple’s sweeping hardware price increases, with the hosts unpacking why the changes happened, whether they’re temporary, and how they might affect future products like the folding iPhone. They also cover Samsung’s rumored new foldable, Polestar leaving the U.S., WhatsApp usernames, Sony ending physical PlayStation discs, a cancelled Dbrand/Steam Machine accessory, and two AI startups that confuse even the hosts.

Apple Raises Prices Across the Board

What changed

  • Apple briefly updated its store with higher prices on most hardware except iPhones.
  • Price increases hit:
    • Macs and Mac configurations
    • iPads
    • Apple TV
    • HomePod / HomePod mini
    • Vision Pro
  • A few standout jumps:
    • 11-inch iPad Air: $599 → $749
    • Apple TV: $129 → $199
    • HomePod mini: $99 → $129
    • Vision Pro: +$200
    • M3 Ultra Mac Studio: $4,000 → $5,300

Why Apple is doing it

  • The hosts tie the increases to RAM/memory shortages and the broader AI data-center boom.
  • They think Apple is balancing:
    • high-volume products getting smaller increases
    • pro / low-volume products absorbing bigger jumps
  • The idea seems to be keeping everyday consumer devices relatively competitive while making expensive professional machines carry more of the burden.

Will iPhones go up too?

  • The hosts think probably not by much, if at all.
  • Their reasoning:
    • iPhone is Apple’s most important, highest-volume product
    • Apple likely doesn’t want a dramatic sticker shock there
    • It’s easier to raise prices on Mac Studio–type machines than on the flagship phone
  • The folding iPhone, however, is expected to be very expensive.

Temporary or permanent?

  • They debate whether these hikes are temporary or the new normal.
  • Optimistic take: prices may ease back once memory supply stabilizes.
  • Skeptical take: once companies raise prices and people still buy, those prices often stick.

Samsung’s Rumored New Foldable

  • Samsung is teasing a new foldable with a wider, more passport-like aspect ratio.
  • Rumors suggest there may be:
    • a more “normal” premium foldable
    • a more compact, potentially less premium version
  • The hosts think Samsung may be positioning this around Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone, so Apple’s version could feel like the compromise model by comparison.

Other Tech and Platform News

Polestar leaves the U.S.

  • Polestar is effectively getting pushed out of the U.S. market due to rules around Chinese software in cars.
  • Leftover inventory will still sell, but model-year 2027 is the cutoff.
  • The hosts are disappointed, since Polestar had some attractive EV options.

WhatsApp usernames arrive

  • WhatsApp is moving from phone-number identity to usernames.
  • There’s also an option to require a private code before someone can message you.
  • The hosts like the idea of usernames in theory, but worry about:
    • impersonation
    • username squatting
    • whether it’s actually easier than phone numbers
  • They also note this is something they’ve argued for in the past: usernames would be better than phone numbers as a primary identity system.

PlayStation goes digital-only

  • Sony announced it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in 2028.
  • The hosts react strongly against it:
    • digital purchases can be removed
    • resale disappears
    • game preservation gets harder
  • They point out Sony recently removed purchased movies from users’ libraries after licensing expired, which reinforces why physical media still matters.

Steam Machine and Dbrand

  • Dbrand’s viral Companion Cube accessory for Valve’s Steam Machine had to be shelved because Valve didn’t approve the licensing.
  • The hosts note Dbrand’s style is often to move fast and push boundaries, but this time it backfired.
  • Even so, the accessory reportedly sold extremely well, which suggests strong interest in Steam Machine hardware and accessories.

AI Companies That Confuse Everyone

Poke / Poke Humans

  • Poke is an AI assistant that lives inside messaging apps and plugs into things like Gmail.
  • It proactively texts users throughout the day, acting like a sarcastic personal assistant.
  • The new Poke Humans version escalates tasks to real humans when the AI gets stuck.
  • The hosts find this weirdly expensive and strangely like an outsourced concierge or call center.

Taste Labs

  • Taste Labs claims to build a “data and infrastructure layer” that gives AI models taste and helps end “AI slop.”
  • The hosts are skeptical:
    • taste is subjective
    • AI often just averages out existing styles
    • the branding sounds buzzword-heavy and self-serious
  • Their view: it may improve AI output temporarily, but it likely just creates a different kind of slop.

Key Takeaways

  • Apple’s price changes seem driven by memory economics, not just greed.
  • The iPhone is being protected as the most price-sensitive product in Apple’s lineup.
  • The debate over digital ownership vs. physical media is becoming more urgent.
  • A lot of current AI startups still seem unsure whether they’re solving real problems or just repackaging existing ones with a more premium-looking interface.

Notable Closing Trivia

  • The episode ends with a trivia answer revealing that Apple TV+ has increased from $4.99 at launch in 2019 to $12.99.