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nzxred

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 20, 2023
37
11
Apple United States


Macbook Air M1 starts at $999

iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999




Apple China


Macbook Air M1 starts at ¥7999 RMB

iPhone 14 Pro starts at ¥7999 RMB



Apple UK



Macbook Air M1 starts at £999

iPhone 14 Pro starts at £1099



Apple Canada


Macbook Air M1 starts at $1299 CAD

iPhone 14 Pro starts at $1399 CAD



Apple Australia



Macbook Air M1 starts at A$1499

iPhone 14 Pro starts at A$1749



Apple New Zealand


Macbook Air M1 starts at NZ$1749

iPhone 14 Pro starts at NZ$1999


Why is the starting price of the iPhone Pro more expensive than the Macbook Air M1 in those countries except for the United States and China? It’s not because of the exchange rate. How come the pricing are so strange?
 
The listed price in some countries includes tax.

For example, Apple China includes 13% VAT in the price. Apple UK includes 20% VAT.

What’s more interesting is Apple has several different types of pricing. For example, Apple runs official stores in JD.com and Tmall.com. These are online retailers bigger than Amazon. In those stores, Apple sells iPhone 14 Pro and MacBook Air for 10-20% less compared to Apple Store. This makes it cheaper to buy iPhone and MacBook in China than the U.S. Much of this is due to the level of competition that exists in each country. For example, in the U.S. the only real competition is from Samsung. But in China, there are a dozen competitive domestic brands such as Vivo and Oppo selling smartphones, so Apple must pull the price lever outside the Apple Store.

Small commonwealth countries like Canada and NZ don’t have many alternatives, so pricing remains higher than the U.S.
 
Some of it I’m guessing is where they’re willing to lose profit for number of devices sold and some where they are not. Half or more of Apple’s yearly revenue is iPhone and people are willing to pay big money to get an iPhone. Apple isn’t willing to lose profits on something that’s so high volume whereas less people would buy the MacBook Air if it was the same price as the iPhone. This is all pure speculation of course, but I get it, even if it sucks butts.
 
My guess also would be that the USD was very strong when the iPhone 14 Pro was released which impacted the initial pricing.
 
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Whatever the reason, being in the UK I’m sick of the price increases.

I like to upgrade every year and always buy outright but I think this years pro max (which I want to go for) will be close to 1.5k and honestly that’s just too much for a phone.

After having iPhones for over a decade I’m slowly being priced out of what I’m prepared to pay.
 
Whatever the reason, being in the UK I’m sick of the price increases.

I like to upgrade every year and always buy outright but I think this years pro max (which I want to go for) will be close to 1.5k and honestly that’s just too much for a phone.

After having iPhones for over a decade I’m slowly being priced out of what I’m prepared to pay.
The best thing to do is keep your phone for a number of years, then buy a new one. That way you'll be back under what you are prepared to pay proportionally.
 
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The best thing to do is keep your phone for a number of years, then buy a new one. That way you'll be back under what you are prepared to pay proportionally.

Yeah I know. But I enjoy getting a new phone. I like buying a new phone every year. I just hope I can continue to buy iPhones.
 
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