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Apple Blames High Australian Markups for Digital Content on Media Rights Holders
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Actually sticking it to the man has worked.
Game of Thrones is a perfect example. 2% of Australia's population is estimated to have pirated this show. So 440k/episode. When this show is estimated to have 4million pirated copies/episode, Australia (with our small population of 22m, and crap internet) accounts for over 10%. Why? Because it aired a week later here, exclusive to an over priced monopolised cable/satellite provider (which costs $100/month) known as Foxtel (owned by NewsCorp and the monopolised telecommunications company Telstra).
Now because of this, Foxtel has announced they will air the show within an hour of it airing in the states. Further, iTunes will have a season pass for $33ish and will be available within hours.
Its a start.
We really need netflix to operate in this country though. There are ways around it to get the US netflix which I will be doing soon.
Here's my summary:
- Apple: It's not our fault!
- Adobe: But we added such nice chrome to it, just for you!
- MS: Eff off
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Here are the numbers in France (I guess prices are quite the same across the EU, apart from the iPod which is taxed approximately 10% higher in France):
Lowest and highest difference in the past six months.
http://translate.google.com/transla...s-1841-apple-est-12-plus-chere-en-france.html
Lowest and highest difference in the past six months.
http://translate.google.com/transla...s-1841-apple-est-12-plus-chere-en-france.html
Does that cover all local taxes? Because local taxes in the United states are never mentioned when it comes to Apple's prices. Where I live I pay a 9.9% sales tax on anything Apple sells.
Uh...
That's a pretty BS response there. We SHOULD be paying for stuff, because that's how economies work.
That's a pretty BS response there. We SHOULD be paying for stuff, because that's how economies work.
Everything in Australia costs 50% to 100% more then in the USA. That's Australia's fault, not Apples.
And iTunes Match converts 99% of these songs to 256 KBit AAC for me
Forgot to say: Anyone knows what songs cost at Amazon in Australia? Do they sell there at all?
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You didn't actually read Apple's response, did you? 61% on downloadable media (what idiot started calling it "digital"? ) happens because Apple pays 61% more to the record companies.
For computers, it seems you don't understand the situation.
Go back ten years ago. 1 US$ = 2 Aus$. Say a computer was sold in the USA for $1000. US$900 for building the computer, US$100 for stores, employees etc. In Australia, they charged Aus$2000. Aus$1800 for the computer, Aus$200 for stores, employees etc.
Now, 1 US$ = 1 Aus$. The cost of building the computer is now Aus$900. The rest of the cost is unchanged Aus$200. So the same computer is sold for Aus$1100. So really the Australians should be happy that their computer is now a lot cheaper than ten years ago.
However, Aus$1100 = US$1100, which is more than in the USA. They complain. But the reason for the price difference is that the cost of selling the computer is Aus$200 = US$200, whereas in the USA the cost is US$100. The Australians make (right now) more money than people in the USA, but you think that Apple should eat that cost. Why?
So you really think Apple should make less profit in Australia because Australians make more money?
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However, that was about resale. You were (in the USA) always allowed to buy books abroad. The question was whether the First Sale doctrine that allows you to resell books that you bought applied to books bought in foreign countries. The law says it applies to all books that were "lawfully produced under this act". Book publishers said "under this act" means "in the country where that act is law, that is the USA". The defense claimed, and turned out to be right, saying that "under this act" means "produced in a way that follows the rules of the US law". So now you can resell in the USA any book that was produced according to US copyright law, anywhere in the world.
Apple has expenses that vary in every different locality. Apple can handle this reality in many possible ways. The way they chose was to keep their margins intact. That was entirely their decision, and there was no compulsion to do so.
Whether that is god or bad or expected or whatever is an exercise for the reader.
Are you missing the fact that the current situation, i.e., the one described in the article, is also about resale? If not, what is the distinction that you are trying to make?
Yes of course if its non DRM and mp3 then you can buy it and load them into iTunes just like any MP3. I've done this many times but for the average user it's a lot of hassle and most don't know this can be done. But the biggest issue here in Australia is we're locked out of buying digitally from other countries through geo-blocking so you have to jump through a lot more hopes to get it to work.
The point is for the average user with an iPhone they will only buy from iTunes as they know no better.
This is total BS and you didn't read the story.
There is actually some Apple hardware that costs less here when taxes are taken into account but it's not the hardware thats at issue, its iTunes, Microsoft and Adobe.
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And iTunes Match converts 99% of these songs to 256 KBit AAC for me
That's plenty good enough for earbuds.
Adobe geo blocks Australian users from downloading from the US site, and redirects them to the AU site. This is the "localization" that costs an extra $1000. You can't purchase from anywhere else. It is extortion. Nothing less. Adobe wonder why people pirate their software. Wonder no more, they deserve to be.
OR, implement the "free trade" that we supposedly have and allow the importation of both physical and digital media from anywhere in the world. Any attempt by companies trying to stop this would be seen as breaking the law and subject to fines.
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Sue them for breaking the free trade agreement , it should be available for citizens as well as corporations
Yes, I just read about the Rolls Royce Ghost costing more than double by direct price comparison with the UK...
Thing is, which are you more likely to own...
What a total load of BS.
"Personalized" service when you download software? Now I've heard it all.
"Vote with your feet"? Yeah I'm sure there's plenty of 100% options for a Office Suite alternative.
Don't get me wrong, happy to pay, but in the day where stuff is all downloaded from a central server, everyone should pay the same - no matter where you're from.
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That is what the senat enquiry is for to determine if some of the IP law that allows local companies to monopolize foreigne content is still valid or should be loosened to create a more competive market.
The aim of laws was to foster Australian cultural content off the back of the popular overseas content. It really just doesn't work anymore now that physical production of media isn't the only way to get stuff anymore.
No, there was nothing about resale. It was about being able to buy a product in a foreign country. Buy it, own it, keep it. No resale. The US court decision was about your right to buy an item in a foreign country, bring it to your own country, and then sell it to someone else.
Apple is a reseller. The topic of the story involves the markup they charge when they resell media.
I'm pretty sure you can download the 30 day demo/trial version but there might be an issue when it comes to registering it, you need to buy the license through the local Adobe store and pay the local AU price.
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The funny/sad thing is in Australia we have a streaming company called Quickflix, who last year received an investment from HBO. Now they stream HBO content.
However they stream nothing new, I haven't checked lately but it was stuff like the sopranos.
http://m.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/hbo-takes-10m-stake-in-quickflix/story-fn91v9q3-1226263677401
http://www.quickflix.com.au/Collections/HBO
So HBO being an investor won't even give them their latest shows.
Not sure what you're trying to do here but if you're happy to pay ¥250 ($2.70) in the Japanese store for a track that sells for $1.29 in the US store, good for you.
The price difference can't be attributed to local taxes (5% in Japan), localization costs (the song file you get is 100% identical to the US one) or even exchange rates (a few months ago, ¥250 was worth $3.20; if anything, $2.70 is not as bad as it use to be).
Aus consumer group endorses bypassing online geo-blocks
have a look at this article
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-23/circumvent-geo-block-to-buy-cheap-software-choice/4590210
before you think it's just one little consumer group, Choice has been around since 1959 - and is well respected by both consumers and government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choice_(Australian_consumer_organisation)
it's very interesting that they're coming out as strongly as this on the subject.
have a look at this article
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-23/circumvent-geo-block-to-buy-cheap-software-choice/4590210
before you think it's just one little consumer group, Choice has been around since 1959 - and is well respected by both consumers and government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choice_(Australian_consumer_organisation)
it's very interesting that they're coming out as strongly as this on the subject.
That isnt what the article is saying at all.
No. The story involves Apple saying that the rate they are charging is due to media rights holders. Across the board their margins in Australia are very reasonable in comparison to other localities - except Music/Movies/TV content on iTunes (see the graph in the article). The articles point is that Music/Movies/TV media rights holders are the ones responsible for the disparity in iTunes prices in Australia versus other parts of the world.