If Apple Eventually Raises Prices, the biggest loser Will be Shoppers needing Accessibility

I’ve long instituted a running gag of sorts for when Apple’s earnings calls happen.

I usually post this GIF to Twitter/X and cheekily say it comprises my reporting of the call.

Today’s call, however, merits more than a pithy post. Specifically, Apple CEO Tim Cook answered a question from an analyst about potential price hikes in response to President Trump’s tariffs plan. As of this writing, Apple’s prices are holding steady, but the company did concede today it expects to incur $900 million in costs in consequence of the tariffs this quarter. To reiterate, Apple has, for now at least, chosen to eat these costs—because they can—rather than pass them onto the buying public.

“Obviously, we’re very engaged on the tariff discussions,” Cook said when asked about potential changes to Apple’s price list. “We believe in engagement and will continue to engage. On the pricing piece, we have nothing to announce today. I’ll just say that the operational team has done an incredible job around optimizing the supply chain of the inventory, and we’ll obviously continue to do those things to the degree that we can.”

The reason I’m covering today’s earnings call with more zeal is, of course, accessibility. Namely, it’s worth pointing out that (a) Apple products already are priced at a premium; and (b) even the remotest of possibilities Apple decides to raise its prices on account of the tariffs will have negative effects on legions of disabled people. This matters a lot; I’ve written before about the attainability of Apple gear, as well as how most in the disability community don’t make much money, if at all, to comfortably afford said Apple products. Moreover, both factors are worth underscoring because of the collateral damage: to wit, it’s entirely plausible any price hikes from Cook and team puts vital assistive technologies out of reach for a not-insignificant swath of people in the disability community. Someone wanting the least expensive iPhone, the new 16e for instance, for its robust roster of accessibility features could well have to postpone their purchase because even the ostensibly “cheapest” iPhone is beyond their wallet’s ken.

It’s true not all disabled people live impoverished; on the contrary, Apple employs innumerable people with disabilities who are presumably highly well-compensated for their labor. The salient point simply is that the vast majority of disabled people in this country (if not worldwide) aren’t so financially privileged—that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Rising costs obviously hurts everyone’s pocketbooks, but the effects oftentimes are more painful for those who hail from marginalized and underrepresented communities. In other words, although accessibility seemingly has nothing to do with the proverbial bean-counters within Apple Park, it’s times like this that illustrate how accessibility, one way or another, pervades itself into every aspect of human life if you’re disabled.

Apple reported revenue of $95.4 billion, a 5% increase year-over-year, for Q2 2025.