Apple hikes international prices in response to fluctuating exchange rates
In reaction to the strength of the U.S. dollar, Apple has the raised prices at a number of its international online stores, including prices in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Portugal.
At the Canadian online store, for instance, MacRumors notes that the starting price of an unlocked iPhone 6 has risen from $749 CAD to $839. The Thunderbolt Display has jumped from $999 to $1,199, and a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro now starts at $2,449 instead of $2,099.
In France, a 15-inch MacBook Pro has been pushed from ?1,999 to ?2,249.
Apple periodically adjusts prices up or down outside the US in response to currency fluctuations. Last year it briefly halted online sales in Russia entirely, after the ruble plummeted and the company waited for values to settle. When the Russian online store returned, some products were up to 35 percent more expensive.
The latest hikes are reported to have taken effect yesterday, even as Apple slashed the US price of an Apple TV from $99 to $69. That however was likely a reaction to competition from devices like the Google Chromecast and the Roku 3, both of which are significantly less than $99.
At the Canadian online store, for instance, MacRumors notes that the starting price of an unlocked iPhone 6 has risen from $749 CAD to $839. The Thunderbolt Display has jumped from $999 to $1,199, and a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro now starts at $2,449 instead of $2,099.
In France, a 15-inch MacBook Pro has been pushed from ?1,999 to ?2,249.
Apple periodically adjusts prices up or down outside the US in response to currency fluctuations. Last year it briefly halted online sales in Russia entirely, after the ruble plummeted and the company waited for values to settle. When the Russian online store returned, some products were up to 35 percent more expensive.
The latest hikes are reported to have taken effect yesterday, even as Apple slashed the US price of an Apple TV from $99 to $69. That however was likely a reaction to competition from devices like the Google Chromecast and the Roku 3, both of which are significantly less than $99.
Comments
???? Remember to also "thank" Janet Yellin and Congress.
Good!
If somebody lives in a country where their local currency has weakened significantly compared to the US dollar, then the prices of certain Apple products should obviously be set higher to compensate for the imbalance. This is only natural.
Yeah thanks Obama for keeping the US economy strong (unemployment 5.5%) while the rest of world's economy is weak (Europe unemployment 11.2%), thereby strengthening the US dollar.
Thanks Obama!
Absolutely terrible that he has improved the US Economy, causing the US$ to appreciate. Not sure why he is responsible for the problems affecting the economies of Europe and Australia.
Yes, thanks for that $18 trillion in debt that keeps piling up with no sign of a slowdown. Be sure to thank him again in 2016.
Good!
If somebody lives in a country where their local currency has weakened significantly compared to the US dollar, then the prices of certain Apple products should obviously be set higher to compensate for the imbalance. This is only natural.
Of course, just don't be surprised if sales and revenue decline. It's slightly disingenuous as nothing of import is actually manufactured in the US and bought from there so there is no currency conversion and none of the money is repatriated to the US and therefore doesn't undergo any currency conversion.
Most people don't agree the economy has improved. Healthcare is now more expensive than ever, wages are stuck in mud, new housing lending rules have set the economy right back on the same path that led to the economic implosion of 2008, the debt is ginormous and race-baiting politics are worse than ever...thanks! What an improvement! /s
Yes, thanks for that $18 trillion in debt that keeps piling up with no sign of a slowdown. Be sure to thank him again in 2016.
Yeah, get the shrub back. He knew how to balance a budget.
Of course, just don't be surprised if sales and revenue decline. It's slightly disingenuous as nothing of import is actually manufactured in the US and bought from there so there is no currency conversion and none of the money is repatriated to the US and therefore doesn't undergo any currency conversion.
Maybe Hans in Denmark won't be able to buy a new Macbook just yet, and maybe Pierre in France might have to use their iPhone for another year before they upgrade. Such is life, and such is business.
Apple is doing pretty well in Asia, and this will more than offset for any weak and lackluster Europe with their tumbling economy. For every Hans and Pierre in Europe there's twenty Liang Changs in China that are lusting after Apple products and they can afford it too.
Thanks Obama!
Thanks to your own government in your respective country. Crude oil is cheaper because of strong dollar.
Apple sure thinks the economy has improved! See: last quarter's earnings. It's true wages are stuck in the mud, but it's been 6 years since the minimum wage has been increased. Fortunately some large companies this month are raising wages, finally. What you say about healthcare is a total lie - for many people it's more affordable than ever, and we've recently seen the lowest increase in costs since 1960. More people insured = lower healthcare costs. http://cnnmon.ie/12r5LM2 That's why business-focused Republicans CREATED the Obamacare plan in decades past. Regarding lending rules, that's just plain ridiculous (tried to get a loan recently?) and just a sign of your desperation to look for some metric you can complain about, when by pretty much any metric other than wage growth the US is the best shape it's been in since 2000. Again, to bring this back to AI relevance, Apple is LOVING the economy!
Thanks to your own government in your respective country. Crude oil is cheaper because of strong dollar.
Crude might be cheaper, still, but gas prices are going back up.
Criticism of this president should not be viewed as an endorsement of the last one. Both are terrible but only one occupies the White House.
What are you smoking?
Yes, thanks for that $18 trillion in debt that keeps piling up with no sign of a slowdown. Be sure to thank him again in 2016.
Stop being so partisan. It won't kill you to give a shred of credit where credit is due. Naysayers were predicting complete doom and gloom for the economy is Obama got a 2nd term, the opposite has happened. Debt is an issue, yes, but that doesn't mean you need to spit on the strength of the economy and record low unemployment as if that means nothing, and just switch the topic to debt because you can't stand to aknowledge something positive. It's this kind of intellectual dishonesty and "I need to win points with every statement/post" that makes the political system and discourse such shit. I'm not the biggest Obama fan, but I don't need to be in order to be honest, objective, and aknowledge something good.
There is an upside to the rising US dollar and that is the amount of value in its stock to foreign owners. When the time comes to sell some stock, the returns in home dollars are far greater than the local rise in cost of a new Apple purchase. Of course, the down side is that converting dividends to purchasing more Apple stock costs more.
Namaste and care,
mhikl
I've been just as hard on George W. Bush, so that isn't the issue.
The economy has not recovered. It's flooded with money by the Fed and the lending rate is near zero. This indicates a still-shaky economy at best. At worst, a new bubble is growing and there will be another massive crash as a result.
Why do you think wages haven't changed and companies are hoarding cash and buying back their own stock? Because they don't trust the economy, nor do they trust Washington to do the right thing.
Personally, if I were to sell everything tomorrow I'd retire rich, however the prospect of another bubble bursting is real and I am concerned the next one will be much larger and will last longer unless it results in no bailouts and no intervention from Washington (something they are unwilling to do).