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Apple Hikes U.K. App Store Prices By At Least 25 Percent Due to Weak Pound

Tuesday January 17, 2017 12:44 am PST by Tim Hardwick
App StoreApple today announced changes to its App Store pricing policy in India, Turkey, and the U.K., citing fluctuating foreign exchange rates and taxation changes as reasons behind the move.

In the United Kingdom, Apple is raising the prices for apps and in-app purchases by at least 25 percent, in light of the weak pound exchange rate, which has been down against the dollar by about 19 percent since the Brexit vote.

Apps on sale for $0.99 cents will now cost an equivalent £0.99, rather than £0.79. Apps at price Tier 2 will cost £1.99, up from £1.49, with similar equivalent hikes for higher tiers and in-app purchases. Subscription prices will not be affected.

In India, a service tax of 14 percent as well as levies of 0.5 percent were introduced by the government from December 1, 2016. In Romania, the tax rate has decreased from 20 to 19 percent. In Russia, a value added tax (VAT) rate of 18 percent has been introduced. Apple will submit the collected revenue to authorities on developers' behalf.

Apple's email notification to developers today covered the iOS and Mac App Store, but price increases are likely to come into effect across iTunes purchases like TV shows and movies. In October, Apple hiked Sterling prices across its Mac lineup for similar reasons.

The App Store price increases are set to go live in the next seven days. The announcement comes on the same day U.K. inflation surged to 1.6 percent, an increase put down to rises in air fares and the price of food, as well as prices for motor fuels.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: App Store
[ 322 comments ]


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anthdci
30 months ago
Woohoo we got our country back :confused:
Rating: 78 Votes
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3listone
30 months ago
And if the pound recovers they will go back down right? right??
Rating: 48 Votes
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andy9l
30 months ago

And if the pound recovers they will go back down right? right??


Rating: 29 Votes
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M2M
30 months ago
Brexit! Yay !
Rating: 25 Votes
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checker2010
30 months ago

And if the pound recovers they will go back down right? right??


The pound won't recover as we stupidly voted to leave the stability off the EU.
Rating: 21 Votes
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Gorms
30 months ago
Thank god we've driven ourselves off the white cliffs of Dover financially. As a nation, maybe we can bring Apple back to profit with these increases in the App Store and the pure strength of our British will.

Ah well, certain other countries are gonna have it worse next week I guess.
Rating: 17 Votes
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macgabe
30 months ago
Apple, Microsoft, Asus, Dell, Tesla, Electrolux, BA, Marmite, Lego, Tesco, Nestlé, Rolex, HTC, Unilever, Morrison's and we haven't even started yet.

For those who don't get basic economics, seems to be a pattern emerging here… Currency collapses, prices of imported goods go up.

If you have UK savings they are now worth about 20% less.
So if you had £100,000 you just lost £20,000. Was it worth it? What have you gained? What precisely has changed, other than the prospect of losing the European Medicines Agency, cooperation over Gibraltar and the Falklands, Russian warships cruising the English Channel, a trillion dollars of eurotrading etc etc etc. You'll still need to import labour from overseas unless you want negative GDP. You'll still need to trade with the EU. But wait, here comes a knight in shining armour… it's Donald Trump (and Vladimir Putin) lol, they're going to give the UK "a really great deal", in fact it's "the best deal ever" lol!!

On the other hand of course, if you have net debt, you just gained 20% - so for all those with fixed mortgages, congrats!

#Brexit


http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/739158/microsoft-confirms-brexit-price-rises-satya-nadella
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/22/tesla-uk-prices-new-year-currency-brexit-vote
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-airways-apple-prices-rise-9150131
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/lego-to-raise-uk-prices-by-5-per-cent-amid-pound-fears-sparked-by-brexit-a3420286.html
https://www.luxewatches.co.uk/rolex-price-increase-2016/
http://www.econotimes.com/HTC-Vive-UK-Price-Hike-Additional-£70-For-VR-Headset-242777 ('http://www.econotimes.com/HTC-Vive-UK-Price-Hike-Additional-%C2%A370-For-VR-Headset-242777')

tldr: consumers and savers lose, app developers and mortgage holders sort of win
Rating: 17 Votes
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fatboyslick
30 months ago
Great, these prices will NEVER go down now, even if the pound recovers and becomes better than pre-Brexit.
Same way we've never gone back to 17.5% tax
Rating: 16 Votes
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VulchR
30 months ago
I am a UK resident, but not citizen, so perhaps it is not my place to comment. That being said, I lived and worked in the UK for >20 years. All I can say is that Brexit was a stupid idea. The £ has devalued, wiping out any pay increases we have had recently due to inflation (of which this increase in app price is an example) and eventually it will decimate trade, investment and government finances. All of this is predictable. What worries me is the unpredictable. Europe has been at peace mostly for a generation, largely due to the EU, and now....
Rating: 14 Votes
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JohnH108
30 months ago

And if the pound recovers they will go back down right? right??

There is no need to worry about that.
Rating: 11 Votes

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