Apple has raised the prices for the iPad, the iPad mini, and the iPod touch in its Japanese online store, Bloomberg reports.
Over the past several months, the Japanese yen has weakened in value, hitting ¥100.69 against the dollar earlier today, which is said to be the reason why Apple has increased its prices.
Previously, the entry level fourth generation iPad and iPad mini were priced at ¥42,800 and ¥28,800, respectively. As of today, the prices for the base products are ¥49,800 and ¥32,800. The increase is equivalent to approximately $40 for the iPad mini and $70 for the iPad, raising the price of the iPad mini to $324 and the price of the iPad to $492.87.
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The iPod touch has also had its price increased, with the entry level 32GB 5th generation version now priced at ¥29,800, up from ¥24,800.
This is not the first time that Apple has raised the price of its products. In 2011, the company began charging more for all of its products in the UK in order to compensate for an increased VAT tax.
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Top Rated Comments
(View all)....I'll leave now.
VAT supports Full Health Care for anyone in a VAT system. It's amazing how few people I know in Europe whine about the VAT. They tend to be Americans who don't mind getting all the medical and preventive care treatment while there--they just don't want to help pay for that treatment.
We call that freeloading.
Exactly! Being from the U.K., it amazes me the ignorance on socialized democracy systems and the amount of fear mongering that the general U.S. population feeds into. :mad:
Value Added Tax. Value added to whom?
Means sales tax is only paid on the value add at each step in the supply chain, rather than the full price each time. Avoids the tax-on-tax issue of a cumulative sales tax. Its a more efficient and intelligent form of consumption tax.
We call that freeloading.