The App Store’s pricing has changed, and the bad news is we’re getting screwed. UK pricing has gone up to more closely reflect the current exchange rate with the US dollar, while in other countries it’s come down.

Unfair? We think so. Read on to see just how much more you’ll be paying.

Apps previously costing 59p have gone up to 69p – ok, not a world changing amount, but you’ll feel it if you splash out on a lot of apps. In Australia, meanwhile, it’s dropped from $1.19 to $0.99. It’s the same for more expensive apps, with £4.99 ones up to £5.49.

Apple says in a statement it’s “made some minor pricing adjustments due to changes in foreign exchange rates and local tax laws.”

But does that ring true? According to a currency converter, $1 amounts to about 62p – closer to the 59p it was charging before. Is this a case of Apple squeezing more money out of us? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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  • http://twitter.com/lexplex_ lexusperplexus

    Makes me even happier to have made the jump to Android.  If Apple is doing as well financially as they’re telling everyone, I wonder why they’re sneaking the prices up in an iPhone-dominant market, but bringing the prices down in markets where they’re still in the vast minority… 

    Smacks of desperation to me. 

    • Rony

      even though I am an Android user too and laugh at this, I think you have to get your facts right. In Switzerland the iPhone has about a 50% share in smartphone sales, much higher than in most other countries… so it can’t be related to being less-dominant but actually to the exchange rates with the relatively high YEN, NOK and CHF.

  • John Parkinson

    UK prices were a bargain before when you took tax into account.
    US iTunes = $0.99 + sales tax where relevant, so generally it’ll be more.To reverse engineer the UK price. £0.69 – first take off tax. That gives £0.575 … less that the exchange rate says we should be paying.

    Apple are still getting less money out of the UK than they are the US, even at these prices. We should probably be paying £0.75 for a $0.99 purchase.

    Not that I like the price increase, but it’s wrong to present it as unfair or price fiddling in certain markets.

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