Sometime during all the launch hype of last week's new MacBook Air and iPad Pro, Apple quietly increased the prices of almost all Mac build-to-order options on its regional online stores outside the United States.
/article-new/2019/11/applemacs.jpg?lossy)
In Canada, Europe, Australia, and many parts of Asia, customers configuring any new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro or Mac mini now face paying approximately 10 percent more for each component upgrade than they did prior to last Wednesday.
In the U.K. for example, when customizing a base configuration 2.3GHz 8-Core 16-inch MacBook Pro, upgrading to a 2.4GHz processor costs £200, where previously it cost £180.
Likewise, jumping from 16GB to 32GB of RAM now costs £400 (previously £360), bumping the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU from 4GB to 8GB costs £100 (previously £90), and upgrading from 1TB storage to 2TB costs £400 (formerly £360).
Altogether, the hikes add an extra £110 to the price tag of this built-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro – a combined total of £3,899 rather than £3,789.
/article-new/2020/03/uk-mac-BTO-price-hikes-march-2020.jpg?lossy)
Apple didn't change the standard prices of its Mac base configurations, which is probably why the changes initially went under the radar. However, two eagle-eyed readers from the U.K. got in touch with MacRumors after the total cost of their custom Mac configs, which had been languishing in their online Apple Store bags for a time, suddenly changed overnight.
It's not clear what provoked Apple to raise BTO Mac prices for consumers outside the U.S., although fluctuations in exchange rates, supply constraints, and labor shortages can't be ruled out. Either way, the fact remains that processor, RAM, graphics, and storage upgrades selected during checkout cost around 10 percent more than they did this time last week.
(Thanks, Andy and Glen!)
Top Rated Comments
As currencies collapse against the dollar, products and parts naturally become more expensive overseas as almost all imports into countries are conducted in dollars and not the local currency.
This is a normal price change completely expected with the plummeting forex market.
So. Just. Chill. with the greed and conspiracy theories mkay?
Virtually every other company that relies on importing products across national borders will be rising prices soon in those countries if they haven't already.
As for why BTO prices have risen in the countries and not prices of standard configs, it's because stores and warehouses in those countries are already stocked with the standard config models – they were imported into the country BEFORE the forex collapse. BTO models are, as the name suggests, built to order in overseas factories and then STILL need to be imported under the higher costs due to the fall in international forex.
If foreign currencies stay depressed against the US dollar, Apple will eventually need to raise prices of standard config Macs in foreign countries too because those will need to be imported at the now higher prices into those countries when the existing stock in those countries run out.
After 20% VAT, we're actually paying (slightly) less than the USA for base models at the moment (although it really doesn't feel like it).
Indeed, crying shame really seeing as how we don't have the high salaries of the US to make up for it. Average of $41k in the UK versus $65k in the US.Even as a Brit, I'm not too surprised about this. GBP to USD has dropped at least 10% since the introduction of the 16". Probably not helped by COVID and USD being a relative safe haven.
After 20% VAT, we're actually paying (slightly) less than the USA for base models at the moment (although it really doesn't feel like it).
The good news is people have choices. Don't like the increase? Reward another company with your currency and purchase their products instead.