Why is this alarming ?
That's just the way the market works, basic supply and demand.
If people are stupid enough to find joy in throwing money in an obscenely overpriced product (aka. demand), Apple is absolutely right to continue increasing the prices (aka. supply).
It has now been standard policy for Apple to increase prices, without reason, at every new product launch.
And all the tech press sings the Apple Gospel and find excuses to justify that price increase, so all is well.
And yet people complain about how "expensive" Sony phones are? A 1TB microSD card doesn't even cost any more than $200 or $250 depending on the brand in question.
It doesn't matter how much it cost! It's Apple! People will buy it weather it cost $2000 or $3000!