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Apple is preparing for its September 9 launch event, expected to be headlined by the company's first foldable device, the iPhone Ultra/Fold, alongside updates to AirPods and HomePods. Coverage suggests new iPhones will likely carry higher price tags this cycle. Analysts attribute the anticipated price increase to a global memory chip shortage — dubbed 'chipflation' or 'RAMageddon' — that has reversed the long-term decline in consumer electronics costs, with no resolution to the memory crunch currently in sight.