Apple Increases Prices in Japan by Up To 25%

Apple today increased the price of iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models in Japan by up to 25 percent.

iphone 13 display
The price hikes, first reported by Nikkei Asia, have been triggered by a fall in the value of the yen and a widening interest rate gap between Japan and the United States.

The iPhone 13 previously started at 98,800 yen (~$730) in Japan, but now costs 117,800 yen (~$870), an increase of almost 20 percent. The latest iPhone SE with 64GB of storage now costs 5,000 yen (~$37) more than before at 62,800 yen (~$464). The 128GB ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro now costs 22,000 yen (~$162) more than before at 144,800 yen (~$1,069).

Apple raised the prices of Macs in Japan last month by over 10 percent alongside the launch of the M2 MacBook Pro, so no Mac product lines were further increased in price today, although ‌iPad‌ and iPad Air models increased by 10,000 yen (~$74) each.

Tag: Japan

Top Rated Comments

JackLeBoul Avatar
16 months ago
It's to bad it never works the other way.....

Countries which currencies that appreciate against the USD never gets a cut, Apple simply pockets the difference.
Case in point, Swiss Francs is up +70% the last 20 years but we never got a price reduction.

Attachment Image
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtrm Avatar
16 months ago

That's a hell of a price jump. Were they underpriced significantly before? Is inflation even more out of control in Japan than it is in the UK?
Japan has an historically low inflation, especially since the late 90ies. They’ve been in deflation for quite some time during the 2000s, and they have actually been trying to push it up. Contrary to what many may believe, deflation is not good, and will kill economic activity (why buy or invest now, if you can do it for cheaper later).
As such, they definitely aren’t having any inflationary spiral right now. Just for comparison, the IMF projects that the inflation in the UK will be 7.4% this year and less than 1% in Japan. (Both figures are from April, so I’d say they are widely outdated by now).
I believe these price adjustments are mainly due to interest rate differences (as the FED began rising interest rates), which made the JPY depreciate (or the USD appreciate).

Sorry for the very technical analysis! I love economics :)
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JackLeBoul Avatar
16 months ago

this chart its pointless. if swiss apple prices are similar to those in EU or US, that's fine. Do u expect to have a 70% cheaper iphone only because CHF gained +70% over USD in TWENTY years? This proves nothing
What do you mean pointless? I work as a currency trader ;)

Apple always raises it prices when a country's currency drops against its base currency (USD).
Last time it did so with the Turkish Lira a few months ago. Why, because it need to repatriate those revenues in USD and can not / will not expose itself to currency losses. (Apple does generally not engage in currency hedging)

The Swiss franc has for 20 years have gone up against the USD, yet our price ratio to US store has stayed the same.
2002: 1 USD = 1.75 CHF
2022: 1 USD = 0.95 CHF
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Psychicbob Avatar
16 months ago
25% is big enough to hurt sales substantially
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
owidhh Avatar
16 months ago

That's a hell of a price jump. Were they underpriced significantly before? Is inflation even more out of control in Japan than it is in the UK?
Inflation has historically been quite low in Japan. The issue currently is the tumbli value of the yen, went from like 109 JPY per dollar to 135. So this is Apple adjusting.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yrmmont Avatar
16 months ago
I’ll wait until the recession hits and fewer people are purchasing (and pricing is lower).
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Concerns Highlighted in Two More Reports

Thursday September 28, 2023 6:25 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overheating concerns continue to make headlines this week, with the topic highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both of the reports document anecdotal complaints from customers, and outline potential causes, but it's unclear how many devices are actually affected. Bloomberg said the overheating could be caused or compounded by the iPhone's setup...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Keynote

Some USB-C Power Banks Fail to Work With iPhone 15

Thursday September 28, 2023 2:06 pm PDT by
Apple added a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 lineup this year, allowing it to work with USB-C cables, USB-C power banks, and more. It turns out that some USB-C battery packs are not working properly with Apple's iPhone 15, resulting in charging issues. As highlighted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums, not all existing USB-C power banks can be used with the iPhone 15 models, perhaps due to the...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...