Apple Raises iPhone and iPad Prices in Germany to Reflect Copyright Fees

[LovingTeddy]

I'm not "pretending Apple is good hearted company who do everything fairy," whatever the eff that's supposed to mean.

Apple is a publicly traded, for-profit company, and just like any other publicly traded for-profit company that follows their charter they exist to make money for their shareholders. And they do a great job of it.

Your meaningless rant has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter. The German government increased what is essentially a consumer tax on a class of consumer product. Apple, like every other company who sells that class of product in Germany raised the price of the product to reflect the increase in that tax. Not only is there absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that they did it, but failure to do so would have been counter to their charter as a for-profit company, and a dereliction of their obligation to their shareholders.

Ironically, it appears to be you who has some misguided notion of some fantasy world where companies like Apple are supposed to be like your big hearted friend and take care of you, instead of making money.

So yeah...You admitted that the new Apple is all for profit and everything Apple do is to maximize shareholders interest.

In one hand, Apple tries to pay as little as possible to its supplier and worker. On other hand, Apple is trying to increase price as much as poasible. When there is tax hike, Apple pass to consumer, but on other hand Apple tries hardest to find tax loophole to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

 

[gavroche]

Then you should contact your government representative and ask them why they feel the need to raise your taxes again, while providing you no increase in value for your tax dollar.

Agreed.... It's amazing how good of a job governments have done in being able to keep raising taxes, while shifting that anger to those that have to collect it. Seriously... Angry at Apple..?!

 

[LovingTeddy]

Agreed.... It's amazing how good of a job governments have done in being able to keep raising taxes, while shifting that anger to those that have to collect it. Seriously... Angry at Apple..?!

Maybe if Apple does not try as hard to avoid paying tax, then tax rate will stay the same? Maybe just maybe.

 

[gavroche]

But this isn't even about the tax.

Yes... It is about the tax. It is 100% about the tax.
Governments absolutely love people like you. Someone reports on the imposition of a new tax, and you think is about anything BUT the tax.

P.s. The rest of your ramble makes no sense. If they used the same components over time, cost might be able to go down. But in case you haven't heard, new models have newer and better better components. Shocking, right!

 

[gavroche]

Maybe if Apple does not try as hard to avoid paying tax, then tax rate will stay the same? Maybe just maybe.

Yes, mix two entirely different subjects in order to make your point work.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Yes... It is about the tax. It is 100% about the tax.
Governments absolutely love people like you. Someone reports on the imposition of a new tax, and you think is about anything BUT the tax.

P.s. The rest of your ramble makes no sense. If they used the same components over time, cost might be able to go down. But in case you haven't heard, new models have newer and better better components. Shocking, right!

But as far as technology goes, price tends go down. Apple basically reuse lots of components, for example screen, flash storage, RAM and lot of stuff.

By the way, even if Apple introduce brand new iPhone with OLED screen, the cost of that screen aren't necessariky go up compare with LCD. As so many other OEMs uses OLED screen, price if OLED screen has dropped. Even with all these 2K and 4K display smartphone, price of these phone with 2K display hardly increased.

 

[thermodynamic]

Is that to make up for India's special treatment?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-reduces-price-of-iphone-6s-and-6s-plus-in-india.1945906/

 

[thermodynamic]

Instead of decreasing their margins the products get even more expensive....As a consumer I am not happy.

Companies don't exist to serve consumers or customers. They exist to make money. You're just supposed to consume and feel good about it.

 

[thermodynamic]

Then you should contact your government representative and ask them why they feel the need to raise your taxes again, while providing you no increase in value for your tax dollar.

But they do provide value. Look up how much corporate socialism Apple and other companies get from our taxes. Without these companies there would be no society.

 

[LovingTeddy]

Companies don't exist to serve consumers or customers. They exist to make money. You're just supposed to consume and feel good about it.

Without consumer or customers how would corporate exist? Consumer is base for our economy without customer, how couls any comapny make money? Without customers, Apple would not survive.

Company must make customer hapo6 so they can make money. Dissatisfied customers will onlu drag company's business.

 

[typonaut]

How does an iDevice infringe german copyright material exactly?

It's not that the device infringes copyright, but that the German copyright regime gives purchasers of protected works the right to make private copies for their own devices. That is, if you bought a CD and converted the tracks to MP3s/AAC/whatever, then you are able to legally use those digital music files on your computer/iPod/iPhone/etc. This is because the importer has paid a levy on the device that goes to the collecting societies to be redistributed to creators/rights holders.

Just to be clear, this right is personal to yourself. It doesn't give you the right to make a copy and give it to your friend/anyone else, and it doesn't give you the right to make that digital copy unless you own an original to make the copy from (ie you don't have the right to borrow a CD and make a copy from that).

 

[typonaut]

Apple's prices are ridiculous here in Europe. Worse is Apple doesn't pay taxes anywhere in the EU... Except for a mere amount in Ireland.

I read a story recently that said Apple had to pay quite a bit of tax in Italy, €318m:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35197547

 

[venusboy]

Replace 'Reflect copyright fees' with 'Maintain profit margin' and you're on the money

By increasing the retail price by the exact amount of the copyright levy Apple is actually decreasing its profit margin in percentage terms. Just saying...

 

[Erdbeertorte]

like u can do anything about a government. they r all idiots no matter which party you pick

Aside from the fact that your statement is both untrue, and represents a defeatist attitude it's really a non-sequitor.

If the majority continues to vote again and again for the same 2(-5) parties (merged to one over the years because of coalition compromises) while there are about 20-30 other options and almost 30% just don't vote for anything at all, nothing will ever change. All of them rather keep on whining and ranting about the government instead of trying to achieve a real change.

 

[jimbobb24]

Does this mean in the US when I rip my own CDs it is illegal? I thought media transfer was fair use. Uh oh. I am so busted. I understand down loading MP3s is illegal - but making my own? And I guess ripping DVDs is illegal because of bypassing encryption? Too complicated.

 

[jimbobb24]

Aside from the fact that your statement is both untrue, and represents a defeatist attitude it's really a non-sequitor.

No it's true. They are all idiots.

 

[2010mini]

The day Apple is going to lower iPhone prices is probably the same day as when hell will freeze over.

Hell hath frozen:

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/12/21/apple-reduces-price-of-iphone-6s-india/

 

[jimbobb24]

Apple pass to consumer, but on other hand Apple tries hardest to find tax loophole to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

There are no loop holes. Their is no "fair share". Everyone tries to pay as little as possible that they can legally get away with.

 

[cdmoore74]

The day Apple is going to lower iPhone prices is probably the same day as when hell will freeze over.

It may not be 2 years and it may not be 20 but no company stays on top forever. Eventually management changes or the old timers don't change with the times. There was a time when Microsoft ruled mobile and when I wanted to work at US Robotics. They all eventually fall.

 

[entropys]

I have already put this below on appleinsider on the same topic

I struggle to understand the logic of such levies on hardware. How does the government know the devices would be used for this purpose? Should device owner A pay or even though they never consume that content, while device owner B consumes 24//7? Customer C only uses fully paid for content, but both customer A and C gets hit with the levy anyway.

And how does the government fairly distribute the funds raised? A whole bureaucracy has to be established, content owners and developers would have to be registered with the new authority, hardware sellers in Germany would have to be registered and a system established to collect the levy funds, and bureaucrats employed to decide how much producer X gets instead of producer Y. Meanwhile producer Z slips through the cracks and gets nothing. Of course after all that civil service massaging and long lunches the amount left would be token to the producer anyway.

Then there are the changes induced to consumer behaviour. Content consumers can regard themselves as having already paid for the content. Even though they are now charging you a second time for content you have already purchased, unofficial downloads are also encouraged by this policy. Why pay a second time when actually accessing the content?

Bad policy would be a good summary.

What it really is is an attempted shakedown of the hardware companies. The legislators thought that companies like Apple would just absorb the cost, and no doubt most do. So good on Apple. The only thing it has done wrong is instead of just adding the levy into the price of the iPhone, it should have made the levy a separate line item on the list price and the invoice just for German purchasers, so they can see exactly what their government has done to them.

if the German government actually wanted to do something about illegal downloads, it could perhaps consider something old fashioned such as basic police work and enforcing the law. I guess that wouldn't be popular. They should have done absolutely nothing if hans blogmeister ripped his cd so he can listen to Aha on his iPhone. In fact, copyingfrom something like a CD you have purchased To your owned devices should be legal, like it is in other jurisdictions. Hans has after all already paid for it.

 

[entropys]

Does this mean in the US when I rip my own CDs it is illegal? I thought media transfer was fair use. Uh oh. I am so busted. I understand down loading MP3s is illegal - but making my own? And I guess ripping DVDs is illegal because of bypassing encryption? Too complicated.

It's certainly fair use in Australia. The German government is using its powers for evil.

 

[Erdbeertorte]

It's certainly fair use in Australia. The German government is using its powers for evil.

Please correct me if I am wrong with anything:

In Germany there are several non-governmental associations/companies that represent the content producers who joined one of them to manage their interests like getting an adequate payment for the work they do.

And there is an umbrella association that represents all of them together called ZPÜ.

This ZPÜ decides to do things like what happened know.

And in some cases they need an agreement with the Bitkom society.

It's hard for me to explain in english what Bitcom exactly is, but among many other things they care about copyright-related things for their members (thousands of IT, telecommunication, consumer electronics and digital media companies).

They criticize it still, despite they have agreed now after several years and are even questioning if there is really a need for such a fee for anything.

That's why it took so long to find a compromise for expanding it also to smartphone and tablet storage.

So... What I actually just wanted to say:

It's neither a law nor a tax and the government is not involved in any case.

They could maybe try to prohibit the whole "content-mafia" by any law. But I am not sure they would get through with it in a democracy.

There are no nationwide plebiscites in Germany what is really bad, because they don't asked the population if they want a reunion with the GDR, if they want to be in the NATO, if they want to be part of the EU, if they want the € and not keep the DM etc. (just some examples that came in to my mind).

But it is impossible and costs many billions of €, if they do this for in every small case. That seems to work in a small countries like Switzerland (where they let the population decide about almost everything) or maybe here in Austria. But not in a country with a population of more than 81 Million people and 16 states, that all have different laws in some cases.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

Companies don't exist to serve consumers or customers. They exist to make money. You're just supposed to consume and feel good about it.

They can only make money by serving the the consumer.

No doubt about it - they aren't required to do anything.

Still - those prices are probably rounded for marketing reasons. I doubt that the 849€ price tag was an exact representation of production costs + x% margin.

Either way, it makes Apple just look greedy.

 

[entropys]

Goodness me. If I was a pom I would be voting in the UK referendum to exit that goat rodeo. It won't end well.

 

[Erdbeertorte]

Still - those prices are probably rounded for marketing reasons. I doubt that the 849€ price tag was an exact representation of production costs + x% margin.

Either way, it makes Apple just look greedy.

I read somewhere, it could be they did these non-rounded prices on purpose now, to show everyone they were forced to do it and it is not their fault. If that's really the case then the person who decided this has to be very stupid.