Apple Raising App Store Prices in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced that App Store prices are set to rise in several countries around the world due to taxes or changes in foreign exchange rates.

App and in-app purchase pricing is set to increase in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa in the next few days.

Apple says the pricing reflects a new equalization levy of 2 percent in India and a new value-added tax of 10 percent in Indonesia for developers based outside of Indonesia.

Pricing on apps and in-app purchases is also set to be adjusted in Iceland and Albania to align with pricing used in other markets selling in U.S. dollars with value-added tax. An updated pricing chart is available on Apple's website. [PDF]

Article Link: Apple Raising App Store Prices in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Can't catch a break from them Taxes

 

[steve09090]

They do this twice a year. If countries change the rules, Apple are entitled to respond.

 

[yurc]

Some of country they raising price still have no Apple Store.....

 

[Tech198]

these counteries must raise taxes an awful lot... Didn't this happen before not long ago?

 

[Apple_Robert]

They do this twice a year. If countries change the rules, Apple are entitled to respond.

These particular countries raise taxes twice a year? That sounds excessive. If that is the case, I can see why Apple did what they did.

 

[kerr]

I really feel for Apple in these times of financial uncertainty, I often wonder how I can give them more

 

[aplnub]

Currency devaluations.

 

[Aston441]

Currency devaluations.

Exactly this.

 

[supergt]

I really feel for Apple in these times of financial uncertainty, I often wonder how I can give them more

Ask not what you can do for your country, but what you can do for your Apple.

 

[xyion1]

These particular countries raise taxes twice a year? That sounds excessive. If that is the case, I can see why Apple did what they did.

Apple revisits currency conversions and taxes twice per year to adjust them - it's not that these particular countries adjust twice per year. Just Apple reviews 2x per year.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Apple revisits currency conversions and taxes twice per year to adjust them - it's not that these particular countries adjust twice per year. Just Apple reviews 2x per year.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[andykiwi2020]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

 

[coffeemadmanUK]

Despite not liking how Apple work $-£ in the UK, if a tax rises, a tax rises, nothing much they can do (or should, it's not a tax for them to pay).

 

[steve09090]

These particular countries raise taxes twice a year? That sounds excessive. If that is the case, I can see why Apple did what they did.

No. They review it (costs, taxes, exchange rates) and potentially change their prices twice per year. But I have never known them to have done it for a single country. Australia has had 2 price changes since the App Store opened!

 

[nexusrule]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

USA prices don’t include taxes.

 

[steve09090]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

X 13% Vat = $155.41. Total = $1350. But the exchange rate is only the median exchange rate, which is different to the selling & buying rates.Then add shipping etc.

It might be more expensive, but not by a lot.

 

[applicious84]

Unfortunately, Apple is only willing to use Indian workers for low-wage labor, not to let Indian workers use Apple technology at a rate affordable for them, the people who actually make the phones.

Edited so as not to be misconstrued

 

[ian87w]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

Similar thing in Indonesia.

64GB iPhone SE, US price is $399, ours is priced at the equivalent of USD $550.
64GB iPhone 11, US price is $599, ours is $885.

And we only have official distributors, no Apple store.

 

[ian87w]

Apple today announced that App Store prices are set to rise in several countries around the world due to taxes or changes in foreign exchange rates.

App and in-app purchase pricing is set to increase in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa in the next few days.

Apple says the pricing reflects a new equalization levy of 2 percent in India and a new value-added tax of 10 percent in Indonesia for developers based outside of Indonesia.

Pricing on apps and in-app purchases is also set to be adjusted in Iceland and Albania to align with pricing used in other markets selling in U.S. dollars with value-added tax. An updated pricing chart is available on Apple's website. [PDF]

Article Link: Apple Raising App Store Prices in Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa

Welp, cannot fault Apple on this one, at least for my country, Indonesia. I can confirm that we now have 10% tax on digital services from foreign companies, pushing the digital divide even further. Spotify, Netflix, all have adjusted their prices.
The original idea was similar to tariffs, a protectionism method to protect local businesses. The problem is, there's hardly any competing local versions of many modern digital services, so this ends up being a tax forced upon everyone. I mean the ones paying are still us, the people/consumers. The revenue of the foreign companies are still the same since they passed on the whole tax to consumers.

 

[TVreporter]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

Canada wants in on this conversation too

 

[az431]

these counteries must raise taxes an awful lot... Didn't this happen before not long ago?

Have you tried Google?

 

[az431]

Unfortunately, Apple is only willing to use Indian workers for cheap labor, not to let Indian workers use Apple technology at a rate affordable for them, the people who actually make the phones.

I get it though. Tim Cook allows people who have souls to use Apple products, but Tim Cook has too much money to make space for a soul.

What does any of this have to do with the article?

 

[Mr. Dee]

People these countries with iPhones tend to not buy anything anyway, just download all the free apps. ?

I know, because I’m one of them.

 

[macintoshmac]

I'm in New Zealand and do wonder if other countries Apple pricing is closer to the exchange rate when converted from US currency?
iPhone 12 64gb in US $799 when converted on current exchange to New Zealand dollars = $1195.46
Apple Website price in New Zealand $1499.
Difference of $303.54
FYI our exchange doesn't fluctuate that much and we don't have an apple store
Anyone other countries have similar price mismatch???

This is true for India too. 1 USD != over 80 INR here at all. This is just Apple’s way of minting money.

I have been, over time, reducing my App Store subscriptions and purchases. Previously they used to be unequivocally cheaper, not anymore. Now they are in the ballpark since a while and sometimes even costlier. With this new increase they are over the price I’d pay if I were to take directly from the developer.

And iPhones? Laughably (and greedily) priced when compared to USD. There was a time Apple started pricing their products almost in line with USD. That was 2011. Then Jobs died and finance guy took over.

iPhone SE is priced INR 40,000 here. That’s USD 540.

iPhone 12 is priced at INR 70,000. That’s USD 945.

iPhone 12 Pro is priced at INR 1,20,000. That’s USD 1623.

iPhone 12 Pro Max is priced at INR 1,30,000. That’s USD 1758.