Since the UK’s landmark decision to leave the European Union, the value of sterling has dramatically fallen from around 1.34 to the USD before the vote to the current 1.22 rate. As a result, many technology companies including Microsoft, Dell, Asus, OnePlus and more have raised prices or shown their intent to embark on this strategy. The latest company to follow suit is Apple and they’ve stealthily increased Mac prices in the UK market by a whopping 20%. For example, Apple’s cheaper laptop, the 13-inch MacBook Air now costs £949 instead of the original £849 target price. Also, the Mac Pro desktop has gone up from £2499 to £2999. When discussing these rises, Apple told the BBC:
“Apple suggests product prices internationally on the basis of several factors, including currency exchange rates, local import laws, business practices, taxes, and the cost of doing business,”
Patrick O’Brien, analyst at the Verdict Retail consultancy understands Apple’s price hike and believes this will become fairly common for other companies:
“Apple has to recalibrate prices after significant currency fluctuations, and since the EU referendum, UK prices are out of sync with the dollar,”
“Apple has taken the hit up until now. While price increases won’t look good to the consumer, it’s difficult to blame Apple.
“Once you strip out UK sales tax (VAT) and the currency conversion, the new UK prices could still be viewed as fair.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t great news for consumers who want to buy a new Apple device in the UK and they’re faced with a pretty hefty price to pay for even the most “budget” models.
