Archive · 12 Sep 2026
Apple Drops Base iPhone Models, Making Status Hierarchy Explicit
Apple launched new iPhones, including a foldable model called the iPhone Duo.
This time, it did not launch cheaper new base iPhone models.
The article says this makes Apple’s product range feel more exclusive.
The iPhone Duo could cost about Rs 3 lakh in India, while the most expensive model could cost around Rs 4.5 lakh.
Even the Pro models cost much more than the average annual salary mentioned in the article.
In the past, people could enter Apple’s ecosystem by buying an older or cheaper iPhone.
The writer says that option is becoming harder to afford.
Industry watchers say expensive memory chips, partly because of AI demand, may be contributing to the higher prices.
The article argues that Apple is making its status hierarchy more obvious.
Apple launched the foldable iPhone Duo alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, without introducing new base models.
The iPhone Duo is described as costing about Rs 3 lakh in India, while the top model could reach roughly Rs 4.5 lakh.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models are priced between Rs 1.64 lakh and Rs 3.29 lakh, according to the article.
Apple also raised prices for previous-generation base models instead of reducing them after the new launch.
Industry watchers attribute the pricing pressure partly to higher memory-chip costs driven by AI models and data centres.
- Who
- Apple, led at the launch by CEO John Ternus, and Indian iPhone consumers.
- What
- Apple launched the foldable iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro models without introducing new base iPhone models, while also raising some older-model prices.
- When
- At Apple’s latest iPhone 18 launch; the article does not provide a specific date.
- Where
- India, with prices discussed in Indian rupees and comparisons made with New Delhi car prices.
- Why
- The article links the pricing changes partly to higher memory-chip costs caused by demand from AI models and data centres, while arguing that the result makes Apple’s ecosystem less accessible.
Accessibility Critique
Industry Cost Explanation
Why prices are rising
Accessibility Critique
The article’s writer argues that dropping base models and raising older-model prices removes an affordable entry point and makes Apple’s status hierarchy more explicit.
Industry Cost Explanation
Industry watchers attribute some of the price pressure to rising memory-chip costs caused by heavy demand from AI models and data centres.
Apple ecosystem access
Accessibility Critique
The writer says base and older iPhones previously allowed more middle-class consumers to enter Apple’s ecosystem without buying Pro models.
Industry Cost Explanation
The article presents Apple’s “personal hub” positioning and premium product lineup as part of a strategy centered on higher-priced devices, without quoting a specific Apple defense of the access concerns.
- New products
- The launch included the foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro.
- Base models
- The article says Apple did not launch new base iPhone models.
- iPhone Duo price
- The base iPhone Duo model was pegged at about Rs 3 lakh in India, and the top model at about Rs 4.5 lakh.
- Pro pricing
- The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models were described as costing between Rs 1.64 lakh and Rs 3.29 lakh.
- Previous models
- Apple reportedly increased prices for previous-generation base models rather than reducing them.
- Industry explanation
- Industry watchers called the memory-cost pressure the “RAMageddon effect,” linking it to AI-model and data-centre demand.
- Salary comparison
- The article cites an average annual salary of Rs 3.8 lakh in India.