Apple Adjusts International App Store Prices

[pitouthestar]

and 69p isn't a comfortable price? As plenty of others have said, the dollar price at current exchange rates + VAT is actually more than 69p, so we're still getting them cheaper than our cousins across the pond

Nope, still more expensive in the UK.
I might be wrong, but I don't think you have to add taxes when you buy an app in the US. It's just 99 cts, somebody corrects me if I'm wrong.

 

[Kebabselector]

I get the feeling the £20.99 Lion price had the increase already in place.

 

[bikemonkey]

Yes... yes I do...

we were fine with 59p it wasnt causing any problems or disruption.. why increase the price and make it even unfair for us?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly over the moon but this is called global economics. Judging by the amount of negative votes I got looks like not many people get that.

If you think Apple has the same costs here in the UK (employee living costs and wages, export/import fees, taxes, energy costs etc... I could go on) as they do in America then you're mistaken, which is why exchange rates have a big impact on internationally trading companies. Also remember that, AFAIK, USA prices don't include taxes and that some countries have had a positive benefit from this change.

 

[Baggpuss]

I don't see how these prices are unfair to the UK.

$0.99 (US price exclusive of taxes) = £0.6147 (UK price exclusive of taxes)

£0.6147 + VAT @ 20% = £0.73 or 73p. An actual price of 69p seems pretty fair to me.

Apple UK hardware pricing on the other hand....

Its unfair because Apple have said that its been changed because of changing strengths of the currencies against the dollar, yet despite the pound being strong against the dollar the price has jumped 16%.

 

[vincebio]

for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

For switzerland and mexico, though luck, but i pressume prices will fluctuate sooner or later

haha...yeah...no worries. The € needs the £ to bail it out you mean, not embrace it....

why would anyone want to join the Euro...its crumbling like a lego set.

 

[rhombus]

If Apple applies this pricing policy of charging its international customers more or less the dollar price in their local currency at current conversion rates, then the white MacBook Air should be £750 in the UK rather than the current £867, assuming they retain a $999 price point in the US.

 

[pitouthestar]

Get a US account.

I have a US and Japanese account. I won't bother purchasing using the UK account again. Zero benefit.

Don't you need to have a US address, US credit card and all that?

 

[RJCP]

for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

what a ridiculous post... UK and Norway were probably the smartest european country for having kept their currency and still being able to control it while the rest of the Eurozone falls to the attacks of american speculators like a collapsing domino...

 

[rikscha]

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for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

My Pound is worth more than your Euro. I win.

No, not in real terms. We should finally get the Euro as well.

 

[ps45]

A lot of comments about how this is designed to make it fair... To me it depends on what you mean by fair. Here all we are seeing is prices being pegged to the dollar so that everyone pays the same (roughly) in dollars, regardless of their currency, or what the purchasing power of that currency.

But obviously when currencies appreciate or depreciate, people don't suddenly become wealthier or poorer (unless they are paid in another currency). Whether something is expensive or not needs comparison with other comparable or substitutional goods locally... in some countries a dollar will buy you a lot more than a throwaway app.

In countries where prices have gone up, such as in the UK, they have simply gone up, regardless of the dollar, and demand may be affected, particularly on the low-value impulse buys. Will be interesting to see.

So this is 'fair' - but mainly fo developers, and more importantly to Apple. Perhaps we need an Apple Marc index alongside the 'Big Mac index'

 

[Kebabselector]

If Apple applies this pricing policy of charging its international customers more or less the dollar price in their local currency at current conversion rates, then the white MacBook Air should be £750 in the UK rather than the current £867, assuming they retain a $999 price point in the US.

You know the new one will be £899 though

 

[rikscha]

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for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

what a ridiculous post... UK and Norway were probably the smartest european country for having kept their currency and still being able to control it while the rest of the Eurozone falls to the attacks of american speculators like a collapsing domino...

You should probably sit down again and study the facts. If the UK had been in the euro, the problems in the UK wouldn't have been as severe as they are now. You shouldn't read the sun too much and also put away your blind patriotism.

 

[mistah]

for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

So wrong! Norway isn't part of the Union, and thank God for that. Same with the Euro, thats going to collapse in short time.

 

[koobcamuk]

for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

I have a feeling that the people buying apps, have almost zero choice in the currency of their country.

It's not John Public that changes the currency of the country, is it?

You should also not use the apostrophe as you have with "it's" in this case. English is the language of this forum, no embrace its correct usage.

 

[apolloa]

This is a total and utter joke APPLE!!! The US Doller is cheaper then the Pound yet you put our ****ing prices UP!

Jesus, and they are selling it on the basis of making all prices match the Doller price???? How? When we pay MORE then the doller value??? Plus we get raped on ALL hardware pricing.

For instance, base model Macbook Pro on US Apple store is $1199, yet in the UK it's £999 which is converted into $1613.42!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We pay over $400 MORE, and now we have to pay even more for our apps!

1 british pound is $1.61

 

[daneoni]

As usual the UK has to bend over and take one. But hey, keep calm and carry on...taking one.

 

[pitouthestar]

haha...yeah...no worries. The € needs the £ to bail it out you mean, not embrace it....

why would anyone want to join the Euro...its crumbling like a lego set.

It fluctuates with the economy like every currency, but it's been pretty strong these last few years.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

Apple wants to make it fair for everyone. That means every country should pay the same price (compared to USD). There is tax by the way. $0.99 USD -> 0.920587688 Australian dollars, +10% GST = 1.01264646. $0.99? Fair.

Also, the developers get 70% off the purchases.

The constant complaining from international markets (especially the UK) about how "the prices are not fair waaa, waaa" and their only understanding of market costs is based on exchange rates is pathetic.

If that's all they think that prices are based on then it should work like that. Every day, every hour, the prices in the UK Apple stores should go up and down constantly so they have no idea how much one thing will be from one minute to the next.

Forget about the fact that UK prices are VAT inclusive and the US prices are not. Forget the manufacturing, import and transport costs that are significantly different in other countries. Forget the cost to licence software elements and hardware patents ...

let's ignore all that and just base the price on a figure that is as solid as a bag of water.

Or better yet why not buy directly from the US so you can take advantage of currency exchange rates directly? After you've paid your credit card exchange rate commission, the international shipping fees and the customs fees you might have a better grasp of how an exchange rate is a minor factor with the cost of products sold in your country.

 

[Baggpuss]

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No, not in real terms. We should finally get the Euro as well.

Im not fond of this price rise, but its certainly no reason to join the Eurozone after all the uncertainty thats going on with their members.

 

[SimonTheSoundMa]

for uk and norway :hahaha, serves you right for not accepting the euro. I live in belgium, and still 0.99$ is 0.79€. You are part of the european union, now embrace it's currency.

How does it feel with countries with CCC credit ratings dragging you down?

 

[striker33]

Apple increases App prices a couple of days after JailbreakMe 3.0 is released?

Yeah... FU Apple.

 

[Kebabselector]

Don't you need to have a US address, US credit card and all that?

You can buy US/Japanese gift cards on Ebay so you don't need a card. As for the address, well for Japan I used the address of an Arcade company!

 

[rhombus]

Its unfair because Apple have said that its been changed because of changing strengths of the currencies against the dollar, yet despite the pound being strong against the dollar the price has jumped 16%.

Where have Apple said that?

MacRumors has said:

As part of its scheduled downtime, Apple has begun adjusting international App Store pricing to bring them in line with current exchange rates.

The UK price was below the US dollar equivalent before this change - do you expect Apple to subsidise its UK customers with its US customers?

 

[programmasters]

My Pound is worth more than your Euro. I win.

yeah, but with the economic crisis in 2009, the pound fell way harder, while the euro kept itself strong. untill now however with greece we are screwed.

and sorry norway, that comment was indeed not intended for you, my fault. But I still think the uk should have accepted the euro. Consider this: A person from the uk, can go to france, where he can buy stuff way cheaper, because the pound is stronger, so he benefits from the shengen agreements, but now however, when the euro is in trouble, that same englishman is laughing at the euro. Here is what i say, the englishman does not want to help the european union and accept it, then he shouldn't have the benefits, kick them out. Then we'll see whose more powerfull. Germany, france belgium spain italia etc combined vs the uk.

 

[SimonTheSoundMa]

You know the new one will be £899 though

Do not depress me now GT.