App Store Prices to Increase in Europe Next Month

[itsmesteven]

Ok, time to consider some of my pending purchases, such as Affinity Photo, lifetime Halide (60€), lifetime Apollo Ultra (50€)…

I wanted to purchase RSS feed apps such as Reeder and Lire, but I’ve been waiting for months to get the V.6 (if you purchase Reeder 5 for instance, you have to pay again for Reeder 6, and those RSS apps are already on the end of their cycles… so I guess I’ll wait for Reeder 6 and Lire V.6).

By the way, I expect Apple to lower the prices once the Euro recovers its strength.

I was also thinking of buying Halide before Apple raises the prices. Where did you see it was lifetime update?

"What's next?
You can upgrade to a membership or purchase Halide Mark II to continue getting updates and cool features!"
Looks like it only applies to Halide II and not Halide III, IV, V...
Or have I misunderstood it?

 

[webkit]

The prices in Ireland are psychotic. The iPhone 14 Pro starts at €1,339, for 128 GB storage!

Before VAT and sales tax, iPhone prices in Ireland right now are not significantly different than they are in the U.S.

A reason why there are higher priced phones is because Apple introduced a higher tier of phones about five years ago. It's kind of like a restaurant that only used to serve one steak option expanding their menu to include a higher cut of steak. Apple also added a "lower cut of steak" with the introduction of the SE phones.

 

[Populus]

I was also thinking of buying Halide before Apple raises the prices. Where did you see it was lifetime update?

"What's next?
You can upgrade to a membership or purchase Halide Mark II to continue getting updates and cool features!"
Looks like it only applies to Halide II and not Halide III, IV, V...
Or have I misunderstood it?

Well, today they did a big update and the app is still the Mark II. Honestly, I don’t know but as long as they let me keep the features packed until this moment, I’d be happy.

Anyways I’ll ask on the photo sub-forum just to know it’s worth the 60€ (That will be 72€ after the price update).

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I have had it since before the iPod touch days but when you sign up, all you have to do is change the region at the bottom of the page.

View attachment 2073093

I usually buy US App Store gift cards for email delivery on amazon.com with my German credit card

but how about the phone number ? has to be US number

 

[contacos]

but how about the phone number ? has to be US number

Mine is a German number 🤨

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Mine is a German number 🤨

Yeah I just tried and it works with French number too !

However seems to be a huge pain to restore my previously purchased apps and software….idk what to do lol

 

[compwiz1202]

Do you think Apple will decrease prices for these countries when USD drops later? Lol xd

No they won't. Just like nothing else in the US drops again now that gas keeps dropping below what it was before it started spiking.

 

[Beautiful Opinion]

Before VAT and sales tax, iPhone prices in Ireland right now are not significantly different than they are in the U.S.

A reason why there are higher priced phones is because Apple introduced a higher tier of phones about five years ago. It's kind of like a restaurant that only used to serve one steak option expanding their menu to include a higher cut of steak. Apple also added a "lower cut of steak" with the introduction of the SE phones.

Again, it was never like this years ago. I was about to buy an iPhone 6 new from apple and it cost approx €800. Apple absorbed much of the tax difference.

 

[Beautiful Opinion]

I think whilst the US dollar is so strong in comparison to the euro then you should expect these sort of prices.

It was like this before the recent price increases too. :/ Apple are just horribly greedy outside the US.

 

[webkit]

Again, it was never like this years ago. I was about to buy an iPhone 6 new from apple and it cost approx €800. Apple absorbed much of the tax difference.

The starting price of the iPhone 6 in Ireland was around €568 (16GB) excluding VAT which was around $732 in USD at that time. The starting price of the iPhone 6 in the U.S. was $649 (16GB) excluding sales tax.

The starting price of the iPhone 14 in Ireland is around €836 (128GB) excluding VAT which is around $824 in USD today. The starting price of the iPhone 14 in the U.S. is $829 (128GB) excluding sales tax.

In this example, the Ireland (euro) price today is actually closer to the U.S. price than it was in 2014 when the iPhone 6 came out. If anything, Apple is being less "greedy" today.

 

[babyexercise]

No they won't. Just like nothing else in the US drops again now that gas keeps dropping below what it was before it started spiking.

Exactly

 

[Beautiful Opinion]

The starting price of the iPhone 6 in Ireland was around €568 (16GB) excluding VAT which was around $732 in USD at that time. The starting price of the iPhone 6 in the U.S. was $649 (16GB) excluding sales tax.

The starting price of the iPhone 14 in Ireland is around €836 (128GB) excluding VAT which is around $824 in USD today. The starting price of the iPhone 14 in the U.S. is $829 (128GB) excluding sales tax.

In this example, the Ireland (euro) price today is actually closer to the U.S. price than it was in 2014 when the iPhone 6 came out. If anything, Apple is being less "greedy" today.

lol, in your own example, the phone is over €200 more expensive.

And the 14 Pro? It's psychotic. Sorry, but you're not going to convince me the situation has improved in any way. Keep drinking the corporate Kool-Aid tho.

 

[babyexercise]

It was like this before the recent price increases too. :/ Apple are just horribly greedy outside the US.

Apple believes most of these people in these countries would buy iPhone anyway

 

[Beautiful Opinion]

Apple believes most of these people in these countries would buy iPhone anyway

...And? So? What's your point? Might is right?

And certainly not new, in my case anyway. Man, the corporate bootlicking in this forum is incredible.

 

[webkit]

lol, in your own example, the phone is over €200 more expensive.

Of course it is but that was eight years ago. Adjusting for inflation, $649 USD is about $810 USD and for that $810 you got a phone with 16GB and a 4.7" display compared to the only slightly more expensive ($829) iPhone 14 with 8 times the storage (128GB), 6.1" display and more.

If inflation was similar over the past eight years in Ireland, €568 ($732 USD) would be around €708 ($912 USD) which makes the Ireland iPhone 14 price LOWER today in USD than the iPhone 6 was.

And the 14 Pro? It's psychotic. Sorry, but you're not going to convince me the situation has improved in any way. Keep drinking the corporate Kool-Aid tho.

As I already stated above, a reason why there are higher priced phones is because Apple introduced a higher tier of phones about five years ago. It's kind of like a restaurant that only used to serve one steak option expanding their menu to include a higher cut of steak. Apple also added a "lower cut of steak" with the introduction of the SE phones.

 

[okkibs]

...and for that $810 you got a phone with 16GB and a 4.7" display compared to the only slightly more expensive ($829) iPhone 14 with 8 times the storage (128GB), 6.1" display and more.

While I do see your point and mostly agree, this particular point is somewhat of a fallacy. Technological advancements are a given, independent from pricing. Go x years back and for the same money you'd have only gotten [insert crappy hardware specs]. Back in the times of 4"-5" screens those cost just as much to manufacture as modern ones today.

Or looking at it differently: In 2030 you'd say "oh look at that iPhone 14, for 829 you only got this ridiculously bad hardware, whereas today with the iPhone 22 NE (Neurolink Edition) I get content beamed into my head".

Just like 4.7" and 16GB were average at that price back then, 128GB and 6.1" are today just as average again at 829. Androids were available with similar specs for about half the price years ago. My two year old cheap Pixel has an OLED panel as well but with a higher resolution and higher refresh rate. It even has proper infrared 3d camera facial recognition that's on par with FaceID. Google's smartphone cameras are next to Apple among the best ones out there as well.

While the iPhone 14 does have the benefit of running iOS and being much sturdier, it's really not an exciting phone - contrary to the 14 Pro Max - that's obviously a beast of a phone that comes with most of the latest tech and doesn't compromise except for that ridiculous USB 2.0 port but there's a different thread for that.

So I don't see the point of the iPhone 14 at all, whereas the 14 Pro is ok if you want a smaller screen. And the Pro Max still has the issue that the 512GB model costs almost exactly as much as the MBP 14" 512GB base model in the EUR regions. While there are logical reasons for it, in the end it is a tougher sell with this pricing and I wouldn't recommend it for most people.

 

[Lihp8270]

Oh enough with the complaining. Like Google and Microsoft don't release half baked software and hardware. Apple is run by humans not Angels.

Remember the iPhone 4 anntenta gate under Steve and iPhone 6 bend gate. Mistakes happen. Geez. Like you guys are perfect in your jobs and the company you work for is perfect.

It's not Apples fault the Euro is weak.

Apple didn’t increase the dollar price when it was weak to the euro.

Apple don’t drop prices when currencies are strong.

 

[webkit]

While I do see your point and mostly agree, this particular point is somewhat of a fallacy. Technological advancements are a given, independent from pricing. Go x years back and for the same money you'd have only gotten [insert crappy hardware specs]. Back in the times of 4"-5" screens those cost just as much to manufacture as modern ones today.

Or looking at it differently: In 2030 you'd say "oh look at that iPhone 14, for 829 you only got this ridiculously bad hardware, whereas today with the iPhone 22 NE (Neurolink Edition) I get content beamed into my head".

Just like 4.7" and 16GB were average at that price back then, 128GB and 6.1" are today just as average again at 829. Androids were available with similar specs for about half the price years ago. My two year old cheap Pixel has an OLED panel as well but with a higher resolution and higher refresh rate. It even has proper infrared 3d camera facial recognition that's on par with FaceID. Google's smartphone cameras are next to Apple among the best ones out there as well.

While the iPhone 14 does have the benefit of running iOS and being much sturdier, it's really not an exciting phone - contrary to the 14 Pro Max - that's obviously a beast of a phone that comes with most of the latest tech and doesn't compromise except for that ridiculous USB 2.0 port but there's a different thread for that.

Ok but I'm not comparing identical phones here. If we were taking about a 2022 phone with the same specs as the 2014 phone (storage size, display size, features, etc.), I would've expected the price to be lower even after adjusting for inflation. However, we are talking about a much improved 2022 phone versus the 2014 phone.

The iPhone 14 is today's entry iPhone (not counting the SE) with today's entry iPhone specs just as the iPhone 6 was the entry iPhone in 2014 with 2014 entry iPhone specs and inflation adjusted U.S. pricing is pretty much the same.

 

[webkit]

Apple didn’t increase the dollar price when it was weak to the euro.

Apple don’t drop prices when currencies are strong.

The U.S. dollar is Apple's pricing standard to which other currencies, like the euro, are typically based. The dollar may stay the same (as far as pricing related currency fluctuations) but pricing in other currencies is increased or decreased according to strength or weakness against the dollar.

A little over a year ago, Apple lowered the app prices in euros due to that currency's increased strength against the dollar prior to that point. The euro has weakened about 19% against the dollar over the past year and a half or so and now Apple is adjusting prices again. Apple may not adjust prices daily, weekly or even monthly but they eventually get around to it.

 

[okkibs]

The iPhone 14 is today's entry iPhone (not counting the SE) with today's entry iPhone specs just as the iPhone 6 was the entry iPhone in 2014 with 2014 entry iPhone specs and inflation adjusted U.S. pricing is pretty much the same.

You are right - I read your post completely differently and wrong earlier today, you actually wrote it the correct way and I misread it. Exactly, pricing for the 2014 entry iPhone is very similar to the current entry iPhone. I find the iPhone 14 to be pretty lackluster, it has a lower resolution screen and not even the 90Hz refresh rate of my two year old Pixel that was nearly half the cost. And that even has the infrared 3d scan that works as well as FaceID.

But I guess the iPhone 6 had the same fate back then, when I got the LG G2 a year earlier that again had the higher resolution screen and a great camera. In fact due to the much smaller bezels the iPhone kept looking old next to it until the iPhone X finally had the new notch design.

I love the Pro Max as well as the Mini, but the ones in between just seem so lackluster.

 

[mrochester]

You are right - I read your post completely differently and wrong earlier today, you actually wrote it the correct way and I misread it. Exactly, pricing for the 2014 entry iPhone is very similar to the current entry iPhone. I find the iPhone 14 to be pretty lackluster, it has a lower resolution screen and not even the 90Hz refresh rate of my two year old Pixel that was nearly half the cost. And that even has the infrared 3d scan that works as well as FaceID.

But I guess the iPhone 6 had the same fate back then, when I got the LG G2 a year earlier that again had the higher resolution screen and a great camera. In fact due to the much smaller bezels the iPhone kept looking old next to it until the iPhone X finally had the new notch design.

I love the Pro Max as well as the Mini, but the ones in between just seem so lackluster.

The reason your Android phones are cheaper is because Android smartphone OEMs have to compete amongst each other as commodity hardware makers due to the software and services all being the same (namely, Google services). Apple doesn't have to compete at that level because they have their own software and services that no other smartphone OEM has access to (i.e., a competitive advantage).

You get more hardware for less money, but the trade-off (if you see it that way) is that it's all google.

 

[webkit]

The reason your Android phones are cheaper is because Android smartphone OEMs have to compete amongst each other as commodity hardware makers due to the software and services all being the same (namely, Google services). Apple doesn't have to compete at that level because they have their own software and services that no other smartphone OEM has access to (i.e., a competitive advantage).

You get more hardware for less money, but the trade-off (if you see it that way) is that it's all google.

That's not entirely true as some Android phones offer exclusive features. Also, not all Android phones are inexpensive e.g., the Sony Xperia PRO even on sale can run $2,000, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 can run $1,500 or more, etc.

 

[mrochester]

That's not entirely true as some Android phones offer exclusive features. Also, not all Android phones are inexpensive e.g., the Sony Xperia PRO even on sale can run $2,000, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 can run $1,500 or more, etc.

Absolutely but my point is they are competing at a commodity level because they don’t control the software experience, google controls that (and makes all the money!).

 

[webkit]

Absolutely but my point is they are competing at a commodity level because they don’t control the software experience, google controls that (and makes all the money!).

I think there are enough differences in features, UIs/ROMs/skins, etc. between various Android phone brands and models that competition still exists beyond just a "commodity level" mentality or atmosphere.

There are still a lot of consumers that actively pick one brand or model over another and don't view them as being all the same or commodities. At least not any more than they may view smartphones in general (Android and iOS).

 

[okkibs]

You get more hardware for less money, but the trade-off (if you see it that way) is that it's all google.

I see that many people don't care who provides that service, for example whether you store your files in iCloud or the Google Drive or just use Dropbox anyways. The apps on the phone are similar and often exactly the same, whether you load it from the iOS App Store or the Play Store makes no difference in the end.

But I do prefer the Apple services over Google, so in that you are totally correct that it is a tradeoff. Although I only use the Apple services on the desktop Mac, with the one exception being Apple Pay that I use on my iPhone where Google doesn't have anything since I pay with my watch.

I really feel that the Mini and Pro iPhones provide a better experience as well as better hardware even at the high Apple price point. It's really just the base iPhone's hardware that I find so lackluster. If I just looked at the spec sheet where not even the very basics like 15W wireless charging are offered, I could never guess that absurdly high price. The only thing that looks even worse than the iPhone 14 is the SE.

But Apple might not even want to sell too many iPhone 14 units, the more people think it's **** but just go a step up to the Pro, the better for Apple. It might make total sense to overprice it, although not for us customers.