Devices from the iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch product ranges are becoming significantly more expensive in the land of the rising sun. The reason is the yen exchange rate and interest rate differentials.
Inflation on Apple products: In a first market, the prices for the group’s popular hardware rose by up to 25 percent in some cases. This is reported by the Japanese business journal Nikkei Asia, citing a local market survey.
Tablets significantly more expensive
Accordingly, Japanese customers now have to shell out a quarter more for tablets of the iPad series. For the 9th generation iPad, Apple’s current entry-level model, you now pay 49,800 yen, which corresponds to around 353 euros at the current exchange rate. Despite the increase, this is still less than what is currently due in Germany (379 euros).
The prices for the iPhone 13 rose by 19 percent, and the iPhone SE costs almost 35 euros more. The prices of the Apple Watch in Japan were also increased across the board. Apple’s Mac computers are currently not affected – why is unclear. The prices on other Apple websites, however, remained unchanged.
Apple had already warned
The price increases are likely to be a reaction to the currently weak yen – as well as a problematic interest rate environment. The Japanese currency has fallen sharply against the US dollar since the spring, while interest rates in Japan are significantly lower than in the United States, where they now stand at 1.5 to 1.75 percent and are forecast to be over by the end of the year 3.4 percent could be. Apple itself has not yet given any reasons for the price increases in Japan; It also remains unclear whether such drastic price increases are also pending in Europe – the euro is also in a weakened position against the dollar and is currently moving towards parity, after 81 euro cents had to be paid for one US cent in December 2020 .
Apple warned when it released its latest quarterly earnings that revenue outside of its home market could fall on a dollar basis due to currency fluctuations. This could have already weighed on sales growth between April and June. The company will report the next figures on July 28.
