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Even when you take out the 20% VAT, Europeans, Canadians, and Australians are paying $100+ more than we are paying here, so yes, Apple is gouging them.

There are other costs to doing business in other countries that we don't have in the U.S. For example, worker rights are much lower in the U.S. than other industrial countries. The workers in the U.S. get less paid vacation and maternity leave, for example. Also import duties might be different.

Finally the revenue stream from iTunes from the sale of each iOS device is much lower outside of the U.S. than it is in the U.S. The U.S. is also a place where there is added value in capturing market share. Most of the software used by the rest of the world is made in the U.S. The market share captured by iOS so far in the U.S. is actually one of the huge advantages that Apple has. I'd say it is THE MOST important factor right now. Developers develop for iOS first and possibly only. Android and Windows are both secondary considerations. This is huge fact.

Another reason is that Apple builds in a buffer for currency fluctuation because once they announce a price for an item they never want to increase it for the same item. Obviously when extreme moves happen, Apple will make a price increase. But this is another factor.

So I wouldn't say Apple is "gouging" foreigners. But yes prices are higher. I have friends who when they travel home often travel with iDevices as gifts for their family. So I know this is a real issue. But there are lots of factors at play.
 
The most expensive phone on earth just got even more expensive. This is not just a currency rate adjustment, this is Apple being arrogant as always, and selling their products at different prices depending on where you buy the product. In France at least, the entry iPhone 6S with 16GB of storage is sold 749€ off-contract. At today's exchange rate, that's $845. The same phone is sold $649 off-contract in the US. That's a same device sold 30% more expensive the eurozone.

Can't you guys figure out that VAT is included in your prices and do that simple math? While you are not including Sales Tax (8.88% in NYC) for the U.S. price. Yes your price is more, but it isn't 30% more.
 



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Apple has set higher prices for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, Australia and other countries to reflect a strengthening U.S. dollar and fluctuating currency exchange rates.

The off-contract prices for the iPhone 6s Plus in Canada, for example, are $1,029, $1,159 and $1,289 CAD for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage space respectively.

Comparatively, the iPhone 6 Plus cost $969, $1,099 and $1,229 in Canadian dollars for the same capacities prior to Apple's media event yesterday. That is $60 less for each model.

The off-contract prices for the iPhone 6s Plus in Australia are $1,229, $1,379 and $1,529 AUD for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB of storage respectively. Earlier this week, the iPhone 6 Plus retailed for $1,149, $1,299 and $1,449 in Australian dollars for the same storage sizes respectively.

Similarly, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have higher prices at launch than the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in euro-based countries such as France, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. The base 16GB iPhone 6 retailed for EUR699 last September, for example, while the 16GB iPhone 6s will debut for EUR739.

Not all countries have been affected by the exchange rate, however, as the iPhone 6s Plus is priced the same as the iPhone 6 Plus in the United Kingdom. iPhone 6 Plus was most recently priced at £619, £699 and £789 in the U.K. for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB respectively, while the iPhone 6s Plus will have equal prices.

The new iPhone 6s Plus retains the same pricing as the iPhone 6 Plus in the U.S.

Article Link: iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Priced Higher in Canada, Australia and Europe as U.S. Dollar Remains Strong

Or you can say to yourself "No more slavishly trotting after everything Apple's BS department spews at me anymore" and buy the latest Samsung cheepie (which just a phone...remember them ?) for peenuts and don't allow Apple to ruin your life and get your cash. It's all been just a foolish habit and it high time you all grew up.
 
Time to start winding down the Apple ecosystem lockin. May take a few years but at the end it will open us up to competitors' options.

Higher price is still affordable but this magnitude of increase really is a big wake up call that I have been stupid with my money. Paying increasingly higher prices for marginal differences between one iteration to another and this year's $200+ price hike over last year makes me realize I am not getting the value really.

Like last year's iPad mini 3, Touc ID is not worth $100USD on an iPad, I voted with my wallet. This year the improvements in 6S are not worth paying $1310.

No more Apple products until Canadian prices return to at least last year's level. (Which is about $1000 for a 128GB instead of $1310 Apple is asking for after taxes.)
 
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Im thinking of switching to the smaller 6s from 6 Plus.

Is the image optical stabilisation worth all the hype? I take a lot of photos on my 6 Plus but I'm going off phablets.
 
Im thinking of switching to the smaller 6s from 6 Plus.

Is the image optical stabilisation worth all the hype? I take a lot of photos on my 6 Plus but I'm going off phablets.
It's worth it if you do shots involving motion often or if you have an unsteady hand. It's especially handy if you're trying to take videos.
 
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It's worth it if you do shots involving motion often or if you have an unsteady hand. It's especially handy if you're trying to take videos.

Thanks. I don't take many moving shots. I was wondering if there is anywhere that has really tested the difference in picture quality between the 6 and 6 plus?
 
Thanks. I don't take many moving shots. I was wondering if there is anywhere that has really tested the difference in picture quality between the 6 and 6 plus?

I don't know that but since it's a much talked about feature between the 6 and the 6Plus I'd bet there is a YouTube video of someone doing that test. I would say the optical stabilization is the most needed in video. For still photos probably not so much.
 
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Honestly, why is the iPhone more expensive than the iPad Pro? Seriously. iPad Pro has newer technology and faster CPU and overall is a bigger product with more raw materials required. The iPad Pro should be $1400 and the iPhone should be $500.

When will people wake up and start asking Apple why they feel inclined to gouge customers on the price of these products when they are one of the most profitable companies in history. Time to give consumers a little bit of a break and stop being so greedy.

Of course, when people line up around the block to drop another $1200 for a phone with unnecessary "upgrades" , I can't blame Apple for the greed...but still most things get cheaper over time, Apple just keeps upping their prices while dropping their component costs. It's criminal, period.
 
Very unfortunate... I would like to get a 6S 64GB.. I was really hoping for a base 32GB, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen. However prices in Germany have been increased and that model now costs 849EUR. At a current rate that's about 960$.

I'm really hoping for a project in the US. Next time I'm over there I'm going to pick one up there :)

P.S.: I don't know much about the US tax system... is the price of 749$ for that phone the final price or what is added to it? I bet It's been said before, I'll go look...
 
P.S.: I don't know much about the US tax system... is the price of 749$ for that phone the final price or what is added to it? I bet It's been said before, I'll go look...
You will have to add sales tax on top of it. Sales tax can be anywhere from 0% to 9.75% depending in what what state you buy.
 
I have an iPhone 5 so was certainly due for an upgrade. But I just finally got an Otterbox case instead to help prevent any need for repairs over the next year. I'd love the improved tech as much as anyone, but it's running well enough there's no way I could justify Canadian prices. I'll look into battery replacement or a more powerful external if it starts tanking too much, but I can live with the current level.

It's a shame though. :(
 
Not really priced higher. An adjustment in currency conversion (for Canada anyways).
Depends on your perspective. My 3G 16GB was $300 USD and CAD when I bought it. My 4S 64GB was $400 USD and CAD when I bought it. Last year's 6+ 128GB was $500 CAD and this year's 6S+ is $788. All prices were for "on contract" phones and represent the most expensive one available.

I think that's priced higher.
 
I'm trying to work something out atm... In the US the iPhone 6S Plus (128GB) is $950 which via the post office website at today's rate equates to £638! However, the same iPhone 6S Plus (128GB) in the UK is £789 which is £150 more expensive even after the currency conversion!

The only thing I can guess this might be is VAT (Sales tax, for those in the US) as on the UK store it says underneath the price that £132 of the price is VAT making the before VAT price £657 which is closer to the US price after currency conversion!

My question is this, do you have to pay US sales tax on top of the price quoted on the US store?

If this is in fact the case then it isn't Apple causing the excessive price in the UK (ok maybe they're getting an extra sneaky £20 according to today's exchange rate), but it's the 20% tax we pay in the UK? Compared to around 7% in the US (Depending on state I'm guessing!?)
In Canada, sales taxes are ABOVE the quoted price. Pretty sure it works that way in the U.S. Simple reason, is sales (or VATs, if you prefer) vary from province to province or state to state. As for the small remainder: import duties, shipping, I don't know. We have a quasi free trade system between Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
 
Ummm Don't you guys have a VAT (or I believe it goes by GST/HST)? Isn't that like 14% in certain territories? So doing some quick math....

This week alone the exchange rate has hit a high of 1.34. So 749 x 1.34 = 1003.66 + 14% = 1144.17 - That's pretty close to $1158 is it not?

We in the US pay our taxes on top of the price so when you see 749, it can be anywhere from 749 - 899 (depending on State and local tax rates that I have personally paid as high as 18%).

Edit: So yes to quote your quote: The devil is in the details - and the deliverables.
The GST Is the federal sales tax and is fixed. PST is the provincial sales tax and varies from province to province. When a province has decided to merge its PST with the federal GST, they combine to make HST, which is also variable depending on how much that province is adding the the Feds tax. In any case, taxes are added after the quoted price here, same as the U.S.
 
I don't see the problem here, 899 CAD is $680 USD, about what it is in the US.

This situation would be the same as Apple only advertising a USD price, and then doing a real-time currency conversion through your payment method.
The problem is that the price of the phone, to us, has exploded in price. When the first one came here (the 3G) the snazziest version was $300, same as in the U.S. - on contract. By the 4S, it had gone up about $100, again, for the snazziest version, on both sides of the boarder - not a big deal for quadruple the storage, and a way faster phone. Last year's biggest 6+ Went up another $100 and this year's big 6S+ is the same price...

...for Americans.

I get to pay almost $800 this year if I want to replace my now aging 4S. That's almost double.

Now a few on here have been dumb enough to blame Apple for price gouging, etc. That's not fair. Most of us aren't blaming anyone, it's no one's fault that we can easily pick on and has been caused by many factors, such as the crash in Oil prices (Canada is a net exporter) etc. A few others have equally stupidly stated the price doesn't go down when our dollar is up and while that was true with cars (where we are also a net exporter - how ironic), but my first two iPhones, quoted above, were virtually the same price here as the U.S. when our dollar was on par, or near enough.

It just sucks, is all. There's nothing we can do about it, there's no one to blame. It just sucks all the same.
 
I just don't understand why you'd spend that much money on a phone, it's only a phone! Madness, you don't get anything extra from the £700 phone as you do a £300 phone, you're still doing the same things. In reality you're paying for something that cost $200 in parts, but in reality costs Apple way less since they order in bulk and they're just netting hundreds in pure profit from you, then have the cheek to make you pay extra for a 2 year warranty and up the price on that too.

I just don't get why people are paying so much for what is basically just a fashion tax.
Because an Android phone won't play nice with my iPad, iMac, AppleTV, etc, that's why.
 
That's the whole point of a floating currency.

As the economy does comparatively poorly, the currency drops, and workers get a de-facto pay cut due to inflation hitting real wages. This in-turn makes goods and services from that country cheaper, improves the balance of trade, and leads to economic improvement.

As the economy improves, the currency increases, and workers get a de-facto pay rise due to deflation in consumer goods. This puts a curb on growth, and acts to stop the economy overheating.

The only other option is a fixed exchange rate - with no automatic stabilisers on the economy - which leads to a much more severe boom and bust cycle.
Yes and no. Our economy hasn't tanked recently vs the U.S. Economy. It's gone down a tad, but began to recover in June. Another reason for a strong U.S. Dollar, is that it is traded as a commodity, subject to the same supply/demand valuations as any other commodity. One of the side effects is that sometimes the USD is purchased massively as a hedge against other currencies, thus making those currencies weaker than they deserve to be.
 
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Yes it's true, no one will accept Canadian dollars even in a town like Buffalo which is right on the border and lots of businesses deal with Canadian customers in daily basis.
What's even funnier is that I don't even need to exchange my US currency to Canadian currency when I visit Toronto (two to three times a year). Everyone seems to accept American currency with no problem. Gas stations, restaurants, and even Walmart. :D
And everyone OUTSIDE the U.S. accepts Canadian currency. I once paid for lunch in some hole in the wall place between Athens and Delphi and the Greeks had no problems taking Canadian money. And you pretty much have to pay with a credit card or US cash to shop in the U.S. as their bank card debit system is mostly half a decade behind Canada and Europe. Though it seems to be finally catching up.
 
iPhones are all made in China so not sure why you think that worker rights and vacation time have anything to do with pricing.

Well there is the store in which the phones are sold and the delivery guys who ship it from warehouses. All those people are involved in selling a phone in a new country.
 
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