Apple Lowering iTunes Prices in UK

[Lone Deranger]

5p cheaper may not be much, but every little bit helps. What if it had been a 5p raise? I'm sure people would be up in arms.

It's nice to see some prices dropping for once. I'll be updating my monthly public transport ticket tomorrow for the first time in 2008. No doubt prices will have been increased once again by a shocking amount as they do every year without fail. (And it'll still be the same dirty, overcrowded and delayed service).

 

[vincebio]

Well played i guess..... but whats this i see???

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Apple have reduced they price of ALL the computer hardware on the Apple UK Store to US prices!!!


N O T



im pretty sure were all more concerned about our macbook pro prices than our 5p reduction on a 5p rise that shouldnt have been there in the first place lol

 

[madmax_2069]

This just in...

Torrents are still free.

Arrrr where be your eye patch



i didn't think that promoting downloading music illegally was a good thing to talk about on here.

 

[Brianstorm91]

I won't be buying any music from iTunes until they can match Amazon's prices on CDs, considering it's currently more expensive, lower quality, fair-play restricted and without a hard copy. Sorry, Apple.

I'd much prefer them to fix the hardware prices, rather than downloads.

 

[Henri Gaudier]

As someone who's still a vinyl nut - this doesn't affect me at all but I'm really glad that for those of you who do as it's a step in the right direction. The high price disparity between markets is disgraceful and I don't see why a world wide deal couldn't have been brokered in the first place and a flat charge given. As for not being able to buy from cheaper iTunes stores elsewhere in the world, I passionately hate globalisation but I thought it was against WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules to deny people goods and services as this then isn't a "free market" and a "free market" is the absolute desire; so isn't it illegal of Apple to deny you access to their cheaper markets based on the purchaser's geographical location? Not really up on international law but superficially it makes sense doesn't it? Final thought, no one needs record companies anyway and their days are numbered.

 

[walnuts]

Makes you wonder why the EU didn't file the charges in the first place against the music companies instead of harassing Apple.

I would think that the EU's thinking here was why sue several companies when they could sue one (Apple) and then hope that through fear of being sued next and from pressure that Apple would exert that the suppliers would fall in line.

 

[Welly]

really ... who cares about 5p? and it's a tiny price to pay for keeping our own currency.

5p is 5p and lots of 5ps soon add up. And keeping our own currency? The euro is getting stronger and stronger all the time and at some point in the future, it'll probably match the pound. I could care less whether my money has a £, a € or a $ on it and I certainly don't care who's face is on the back of it.

 

[gnasher729]

So why can't somebody living in the UK buy something from the US iTunes store? What, you're not allowed to do this if you're billing address is not in the US? Even then, you could just buy some US iTunes gift cards on your next trip to the US and use those. No?

Because the copyright holders (the record companies) don't allow it.

 

[akadmon]

Because the copyright holders (the record companies) don't allow it.

Yeah, but how will the record companies prove that the song you have on your iPod was downloaded from the US? Or does Apple somehow detect your physical location and prevent you from downloading if you're not in the US? Just wondering, because it seems strange that a lot of people would not do what I said earlier -- use an US purchased iTunes gift card to pay for downloads from the US iTunes store to a computer located overseas.

 

[TheIguana]

This is the first thing I thought as well.

I would be much more inclined to buy music or video on iTunes if I had a choice of what's available everywhere. It is the 21st century already after-all and the Internet is a world-wide network, not a USA network.

- Most of my favorite TV shows are British, but you can't buy them from Canada.

- My favorite band right now is Swedish, and they have their music for sale on the label site in Sweden in non-DRM mp3's, but it isn't on iTunes, in Canada, the US or the UK.

- Living in Canada, why the f*ck should I have to do a deal with some dodgy eBay'er for an iTunes card so I can buy TV shows from iTunes USA when they are broadcast up here over the air?

If there is one area where Apple is quite a bit *behind* the curve it's internationalisation in general. Most American companies have these same kind of blinders on, but it would be very cool if Apple took the leadership here and became more of a world-wide company than just an American one.

Alot of that comes down to the downright 'dodgy' licensing agreements/practices that the content industry has brought forth in the multitude of countries it sells its content. Yes we can blame Apple, but Apple in a sense are the only ones trying fight past all of the stupid rediculous bureacracy these content empires have setup over the past decades. Now that is not to say that Apple does not have its own motivations, but it does speak to how petty these debates get when the product is digital and no long some corporal piece of technology that can be shipped from one place to another.

What I find most troubling is however Apple's lackluster commitment to pricing in one country contrast to others. Why should I have to pay $2.29 for the exact same content that is avaliable for $1.99. This may sound like a fruitless argument over pennies but ultimately it sets a very bad precedent. Particlarly when companies can simple come into a market and exclaim 'we are the only source' thus we will be charging an egregious margin above what the contents pricing actually is. And when controls are put in place (particularly as the result of archaic licensing) that prevent one from buying content from the other country/source because one lives somewhere else, it just makes situatiosn even more excrutiatingly irritating.

 

[Nick012]

While I can see that this is good news, I never really 'got' the whole paying for music downloads thing. The Eagles - Long Road out of Eden is £9.99 on iTunes and is the same price 300m down the road at HMV, plus I get the physical CD, the case, and the booklet. If I didn't mind waiting I could get it off amazon for 7.49 (along with some other stuff for free delivery). Plus, I could torrent it in about 15mins if I were so inclined.

I'm sure this has been said about a million times before, and that iTunes is convenient for some people (not sure who). But I just never understood the appeal.

 

[Nick012]

5p is 5p and lots of 5ps soon add up. And keeping our own currency? The euro is getting stronger and stronger all the time and at some point in the future, it'll probably match the pound. I could care less whether my money has a £, a € or a $ on it and I certainly don't care who's face is on the back of it.

Although you can use euros throughout the euro zone, each country's coins has its own designs on the 'heads' side. Belgium has the king on for example. I get your point though. I like the pound because when I go to visit my parents in belgium I get an extra 40% when I change them (last time I was over £1 was ~€1.40)

 

[GroundLoop]

Why should I have to pay $2.29 for the exact same content that is avaliable for $1.99.

For the same reason I have to pay a different price (more) for a Toyota in the US as opposed to Japan. There are additional costs associated with doing business outside of your home country (local server farms, content licensing differences, tax differences, currency differences, export/import controls, additional lawyers, etc etc etc).

There will never be a time that you can buy every single item at the exact same price around the world until there is a unified and worldwide government, currency and tax system.

It's a way of life.

Hickman

 

[macinfojunkie]

Although you can use euros throughout the euro zone, each country's coins has its own designs on the 'heads' side. Belgium has the king on for example. I get your point though. I like the pound because when I go to visit my parents in belgium I get an extra 40% when I change them (last time I was over £1 was ~€1.40)

You do realise that the "extra 40%" is only a notional number don't you? Some things in euroland are marginally cheaper, but not much is actually 40% cheaper like for like than in the UK.

 

[tjcampbell]

Arrrr where be your eye patch



i didn't think that promoting downloading music illegally was a good thing to talk about on here.

Thanks Nancy.

 

[Matti]

Good news. The first step into right direction.

Doesn't still solve the original problem (iTunes music store blocking free trade within EU), but Apple can't do more than this on it's own.

European Comission is currently pushing for EU wide licensing for music. It will take time to get that trough in every member state, but it will come. Todays news at least stops records companies profiting from unnatural trade barrier within EU.

 

[sananda]

I could care less whether my money has a £, a € or a $ on it and I certainly don't care who's face is on the back of it.

it's about sovereignty.

 

[mpw]

...how a macbook is half the price in the states then it is in the UK...

It's simply a matter of comparing the GBP in the UK to the USD in the USA taking into account VAT and FOREX then subtracting your BS.

US price             = $1,499.00
Convert USD to GBP   = £  764.00
UK price             = £  808.00
Price 'premium' in UK=       [B]5.7%[/B]

So that'll be closer to 5% rather than the 50% you stated. Don't believe everything the Daily Mail and Sun tell you.

I guess it's because it's easier (and faster) to go after a single company, in this case Apple, rather than trying to file charges against multiple record companies...

Could it be that the EU are using consumer protection laws, which mean they need to take action against the retailer, Apple, rather than the wholesaler, Big Bad Record Co.?

So why can't somebody living in the UK buy something from the US iTunes store?...

Because the suppliers are different from country to country, a band might be on one label in the US and another in the UK. The label own the rights in their respective territories.

 

[samab]

Good news. The first step into right direction.

Doesn't still solve the original problem (iTunes music store blocking free trade within EU), but Apple can't do more than this on it's own.

European Comission is currently pushing for EU wide licensing for music. It will take time to get that trough in every member state, but it will come. Todays news at least stops records companies profiting from unnatural trade barrier within EU.

The EC isn't solving anything --- they backed down completely on this issue by agreeing with Apple that neither Apple nor the music industry crafted the geographical barriers.

It would be very funny to see --- in 6 months --- if Apple would declare that they can't make the UK itune price lower because they can't agree with the record companies. So the only thing Apple can do is to raise the price of the other European itune downloads to UK prices.

 

[Patchwork]

It's simply a matter of comparing the GBP in the UK to the USD in the USA taking into account VAT and FOREX then subtracting your BS.

US price             = $1,499.00
Convert USD to GBP   = £  764.00
UK price             = £  808.00
Price 'premium' in UK=       [B]5.7%[/B]

So that'll be closer to 5% rather than the 50% you stated. Don't believe everything the Daily Mail and Sun tell you.

The UK price is actually £949, so the difference is actually about 17.5%.

 

[Matti]

The EC isn't solving anything --- they backed down completely on this issue by agreeing with Apple that neither Apple nor the music industry crafted the geographical barriers.

It would be very funny to see --- in 6 months --- if Apple would declare that they can't make the UK itune price lower because they can't agree with the record companies. So the only thing Apple can do is to raise the price of the other European itune downloads to UK prices.

I think you are seeing this too pessimistic. Currently record companies and Apple can point to the mess known as European IP laws. To go further than this would require those laws to be sorted. Just last week Comission gave statement that this is exactly what they plan to do. I think that todays decision is just about stopping companies from exploiting and profiting from current situation.

The free flow of goods, capital and people within Europe is the corner stone of European Union. They won't allow this to go on.

The Spice must flow.

 

[macinfojunkie]

The UK price is actually £949, so the difference is actually about 17.5%.

Personally whatever the premium, small price to pay for living in Blighty. I'd not want to move over the Pond even it Macbooks were free!

 

[wordmunger]

The US Dollar is pretty much worthless at the moment. The exchange rate is crazy at the moment, so bear this in mind when you do your conversation. If the US economy wasn't so terrible at the moment the price difference would be much smaller. Its not Apple's fault the Dollar is worthless.

But if the dollar is so worthless, why does it buy more music in the U.S. than in other countries?

You're right that the decline in the dollar has some impact on the relative prices, but the other factor is that Apple is riding with the dollar in the U.S. They could also just raise the price of iTunes songs in the U.S. to match the decline of the dollar, but you don't see them doing that.

 

[mpw]

The UK price is actually £949, so the difference is actually about 17.5%.

But if you include UK VAT you need to include US sales tax in the equation too;

US price             = $1,630.00
Convert USD to GBP   = £  831.00
UK price             = £  949.00
Price 'premium' in UK=       [B]12%[/B]

Still not the 50% claimed, and not Apple's doing.

 

[Hattig]

The UK price is actually £949, so the difference is actually about 17.5%.

Excluding VAT?