Apple, Microsoft and Adobe Required to Explain High Pricing in Australia

[KazuSnow]

Horrid piece

This article is so pathetically written, and riddled with bias. Maybe you should resubmit it so that it actually reflects the intentions of our Parliament!
We are not making any company lower their price or indeed do anything other then explain why when, a digitally available item can cost significantly cheaper in other countries, should Australia pay a such a higher price.
Apple is but one company ask to give evidence, they may very well come and say get ****'ed our prices are fair, but if you do your research you will see that companies like ADOBE charge over double the price for some of their digitally available software.

This is about trying to get answers on why an electronically available item would cost more in one country over the other.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I can see the concept of pricing for markets is really sinking in here.

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Nice prices down under. In Croatia basic retina Macbook 15 costs almost 3000$. I wish we could get Australian prices. Or even better, Australian government since ours is corrupted and annoying

So you make and spend USD in Croatia?

 

[snebes]

I think the sarcasm was implied. Maybe you should look it up.

He is in Australia, he needs to look to down.

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This article is so pathetically written, and riddled with bias. Maybe you should resubmit it so that it actually reflects the intentions of our Parliament!
We are not making any company lower their price or indeed do anything other then explain why when, a digitally available item can cost significantly cheaper in other countries, should Australia pay a such a higher price.
Apple is but one company ask to give evidence, they may very well come and say get ****'ed our prices are fair, but if you do your research you will see that companies like ADOBE charge over double the price for some of their digitally available software.

This is about trying to get answers on why an electronically available item would cost more in one country over the other.

It is expensive to translate from English to Australian.

Don't be such a screamer or sheepshager. 'k mate?

 

[SlugBlanket]

Base 27'' iMac comes with a price tag of 1,879.00 € in Germany. Thats 1,578.99 € before tax or 2,110.53 US$. A 17.3% premium and nobody is complaining.

The rest of the world gets very nervous when Germany complains

 

[ilmman]

and I've heard the average Australian income is alot higher than of what US makes..

 

[kalsta]

While I'm all for a better price I would hardly call 3.8% a significant difference in the price, it's a lot better than it used to be. I think one major difference is our prices includes GST where as the US that is added later depending on the state taxes. That said the iTunes price is a bit higher 30% difference which is partly explained with local record deals but still.

Adobe is much worse. In the US the full price of Photoshop CS6 Extended is $999US, while here it's $1519AU, over a 50% rise in price for software that doesn't need an expensive box to ship in. Even with our local 10% GST it should be no more than $1100!

Okay just saw the same news on TV and I think the Apple part is being over blown, it's mostly software they are talking about and the likes of Adobe. Apple is not too bad on this front, get the latest OS X for $19.99 in the US, that's $20.99 here which when you take off the 10% GST is actually cheaper than the US price.

Adobe needs to be held to account with a 50% price gouge for prices here in Australia.

I don't get this report. Nobody here in Australia is complaining about the price of iMacs! We are winging about the price of iTunes songs! A single track costs $2.19 compared to $1.29 in the states! But what adobe is doing is just plain shocking! CS6 master collection works out to be $4454US compared to $2699 in the states. And Australian GST tax isn't applicable on digital downloads from offshore.

Go figure

There is no excuse for a 50% or more price gouge from Adobe for international customers...

… but if you do your research you will see that companies like ADOBE charge over double the price for some of their digitally available software.

Exactly!! Kudos to everyone who takes the time to look at the facts.

Apple has been very fair with their hardware pricing. I mean, the iPhone is overpriced, but it's overpriced everywhere! The reason Apple is there, is to explain iTunes store inconsistencies. From today's article in The Australian:

'Differences in the cost of buying tracks and albums through Apple’s iTunes store, inconsistent pricing of Microsoft’s Windows operating system, and hundreds of dollars difference in the cost of Adobe products such as Photoshop and Design Premium upgrades were examples given to the committee.'​

Adobe deserves all the bad press it gets. When I personally spoke to Adobe's sales support and asked why their Australian prices were so high, I got the standard copy-and-pasted spiel about the cost of doing business in other countries. BS. Their software is digitally distributed these days. We could order and download it straight from the US store and it would cost them nothing more—that is if they didn't intentionally block international payments, forcing you to use the Australian store and its ridiculously inflated prices. And unlike the iTunes Store, Adobe isn't subject to the likes of record companies. It's their own product and they can price it however they like.

Can't believe how many posts this has gotten and yet it's clear NO ONE has actually read what is actually being investigated!

Since when do online commenters stop and check the facts before expressing an opinion?

This article is so pathetically written, and riddled with bias. Maybe you should resubmit it so that it actually reflects the intentions of our Parliament!

Yep. Pretty disappointing for it to highlight, of all things, the iMac, when that product isn't the cause of these enquiries. It's created a lot of ignorant and unnecessary mud flinging here.

 

[kalsta]

Ridiculous. It's called a free market. We don't tell you how to price your fosters.

Wouldn't matter. Fosters isn't an Australian beer, from what friends in Australia tell me. It's ran by a UK company now.

Yeah. Apparently in Australia, Fosters is Australian for, "I can't believe those Americans will drink that swill!"

I haven't seen a Fosters labelled beer for years. Who knows what you're drinking when you drink 'Fosters'—but it's not what we drink!

If you live in Queensland you drink XXXX. I think that must be a given, since it's apparently Australia's most popular beer, so someone must be drinking it. Other popular beers are VB (not sure why) and Carlton Draught. They are both brewed by a subsidiary of Foster's Group, which sadly is owned by SABMiller now. Apparently even Boag's is owned by a Japanese company now, so maybe there is no such thing as Australian beer anymore!

 

[alfistas]

The rest of the world gets very nervous when Germany complains

I suggest Apple start selling cheap in Germany or they might get MAD (for a third time...)

 

[herr_neumann]

Shenzhen - Sydney = 4587 Miles
Shenzhen - Los Angeles = 6888 Miles

So further you ship the cheaper it is

Yeah, because there is no difference in volume between those two ports....

 

[Analog Kid]

Here's what makes me crazy: all these countries want foreign products localized to their country-- England wants all these extra u's put into words, Australia needs to have the whole UI drawn upside down-- but nobody wants to pay for it...

 

[czachorski]

Ahhh it cracks me up when governments ask questions like this. With VAT tax, import duties, fiat money, central banks manipulating currencies, corporations themselves created by government regulations, and multitudes of other government policy replacing free market capitalism with syndicalism, Apple should just ship them a nice, big mirror.

 

[SurferPup]

Australian Government Needs To Look At Themselves

It is not Apple's fault that Australia is a highly regulated country plus my government charges GST and possibly import duties. MP Ed Husic should be asking himself, “What can I do to make it more desirable for overseas companies to be price competitive here and how can I encourage Apple to increase their workforce presence in this country?”

 

[wbeasley]

Ridiculous. It's called a free market. We don't tell you how to price your fosters.

Aussies wouldn't be caught dead drinking Fosters... can't recall the last time I even saw that on the grog shop shelves.

 

[Verbatim Cookie]

You are thinking of the minimum advertised price (MAP) case.

No, it was about maximum prices. I believe I found the case I was thinking of; here is one Web page about it. There's no date on that page, but Wikipedia says the decision was made in 1997. (I thought it was more recent than that, but whatever.)

But it has nothing to do with this.

I know, I was just throwing it out there.

 

[Mackan]

The rest of the world has always subsidized the prices in the U.S. It's a well known fact in order to keep the U.S and world economy going... Of course, saying this is almost like criticising a religion... My body is ready.

 

[Verbatim Cookie]

...so maybe there is no such thing as Australian beer anymore!

There are no microbreweries or craft brewers in Australia?

 

[ijason69]

Nice prices down under. In Croatia basic retina Macbook 15 costs almost 3000$. I wish we could get Australian prices. Or even better, Australian government since ours is corrupted and annoying

Sorry to say you don't know much about Australian politics or the crap government we do have............

 

[batchtaster]

I have less of a problem with the pricing of Apple and Microsoft products, because it's usually only a factor of single-digit percentages. What's more of a problem is other products like cars.

Ford Focus ST is USD$24,500 in the U.S. (http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/pricing/)
In Australia, it's from AUD$38,290 (http://www.caradvice.com.au/184265/ford-focus-st-australian-pricing-confirmed-new-golf-gti-rival/)

The AUD is worth more than the USD. Even figuring GST, etc, Australians are being completely screwed for the same vehicle.

Adobe, however, is notorious for markups; Photoshop CS6 full version is AUD$1062 in AU or USD$699 in the US. From the same Adobe online store.

 

[Tech198]

This is something new ??

Apple has always had high pricing in Australia........ Its not them... Its called sales tax or something....

Granted, maybe Apple could make it a bit cheaper, but thats why we have DSE stores who sell Apple gear for 10% off

JB-HIFI does this too.. sometimes, so i don't see the big deal here...

If we don't like the prices, we simply shop elsewhere, as Apple Store isn't the only place to get Apple products.

Its like saying "Apple drops hard drive prices they sell"...... pfftt.

I get all my hardware from PLE anyway (with the exception of my MPB),, I don't see a problem with that ...

Aussies wouldn't be caught dead drinking Fosters... can't recall the last time I even saw that on the grog shop shelves.

Thats for sure.......I don't think we even know what that is..

 

[NickBoy98]

Yes in Australia we may pay a little more for Apple hardware.

It's not the actual shipping that adds to the cost, it's as soon as hits the ground or is landed is where all the extra costs are. Our costs for fuel and labour are significantly higher than the U.S. I've just order a new iMac and are not complaining at the small premium that we pay.

This is more likely the Labour Government here in Australia trying to force some imported goods to reduce in price. But do you know what will happen if that actually occurs? They will quietly raise one of the many taxes that apply through the purchase and delivery chains so that we end up paying the same amount anyway.

The Australian Government might be better focussing on the huge cost we pay for imported vehicles. Recently I bought an American built vehicle that cost AU$80,000 that sells for about $42,000 in America. Even after factoring freight and compliance etc, doesn't make sense. A large component of pricing delta is taxes.

The Australian Labour government in regard to Apple pricies are simply trying to get a free hit for the upcoming election.

Oh, and why Fostors is such a successfull export beer for Australia is that nobody will drink that rubbish here.

Wow the Labour bashers have shown up on MacRumours...

Everyone seems to forget that Australia is significantly closer to China that America is, shipping is not a factor at all!

Unless Apple is shipping from China to America to Australia, which would be pretty dumb!

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Here's what makes me crazy: all these countries want foreign products localized to their country-- England wants all these extra u's put into words, Australia needs to have the whole UI drawn upside down-- but nobody wants to pay for it...

Are Americans seriously that dumb... ENGland INVENTED ENGlish... Americans are the ****wits that decided "U's are too difficult for us to write because we're ****tards" and removed them all!

...and the upside-down jokes stopped being funny about 20 years ago.

 

[kalsta]

There are no microbreweries or craft brewers in Australia?

Okay, so I may have been exaggerating. But not much! Check out the major breweries and who owns them…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_breweries_in_Australia

There's a list of 'notable microbreweries' at the bottom of that page. There would be many more. If Australia's short of anything, it's not people willing to brew beer. I've made my own beer with friends at a place where you pay to use their equipment and ingredients, and plenty of my friends make home brews.

 

[NickBoy98]

He is in Australia, he needs to look to down.

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It is expensive to translate from English to Australian.

Don't be such a screamer or sheepshager. 'k mate?

If I see this stupidity again i'm going to scream

1. Australian isn't a language... it's British English, ****.

2. British ENGlish is THE ENGlish, AMERICA decided that U's were to difficult for them and decided to make their OWN ****ed up version.

 

[nightlong]

This is ridiculous. Its not like we are talking about lifesaving drugs or anything essential. These are semi-luxury goods with plenty of alternatives that can perform the same functions.

Might be a luxury item to you, but a Mac is a tool of trade for me. Are you saying with these "plenty of alternatives that can perform the same functions" that macs and pcs are identical and completely interchangeable?

It is your statement that is ridiculous.

 

[Mystic386]

I can pay up to 251% more and with us having a relatively low tax rate that just means we're being screwed.

Apple do price gouge and we cop it here in New Zealand as well.


iMac 27 US $1799 NZ $2799 or (US $2341.64)

30.2% more here.


iPad US$499 NZ $ 729 or (US $609.88)

46.1% more here


iTunes - A Movie I want $9.99 US - NZ $29.99 ($US 25.09)

251.2% more here.


1/ This is not due to distributor markups. Apple sets the price through it's own online store here.

2/ We don't have a single Apple bricks and mortar store here.

3/ Apple is burning it's good will.

4/ We find work arounds. Always the way when you're ripped off.

5/ Apple forces buyers to buy internationally through the net. Oddly enough directing sales to the likes of Amazon because their site is blocked.

6/ The local government here is losing revenue because of this practice.

7/ Can some one tell me why the #$% 251% difference on iTunes. It's a digital download how and why should we have Apple screw us over.

8/ You could argue Apple is US based and sets it's own pricing and should be allowed to. People are not blind. They know Apple is screwing them. Heck even the Australian Government has realised that. When a digital download costs me 251% more somethings screwed.

 

[FMT]

http://www.afr.com/p/technology/adobe_cuts_australian_prices_after_BgBXyFaCrXRGNIrS1M2fNN

You cant say it didnt work.