What kind of stupid thread and poll is this? When was anyone ever happy about price hikes, be it an Apple product or anything else?
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Other Are you happy about Apple’s recent pricing hikes?
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I think people should read this comment more and really think of the consequences of shutting down mom and pop shops and letting all the big box stores open and thus giving them more control over people's lives for two years. And having their misplaced trust in the government for seriously expecting them to "combat inflation" as well during the lockdowns. Also I'm sorry for the double post.
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It definitely encouraged me to rethink purchases I'd considered. I thought about buying a new iPad, for instance, but given that the new 10th Gen iPad starts at 580€ and doesn't even offer some of the stuff my 5 year old iPad Pro has, I just don't see it as a convincing value proposition.
I looked it up just now and my iPad Pro cost me 650€ in early 2018. Adjusted for inflation, it would now cost 730€. That's still 40€ less than what Apple is now asking for the iPad Air (770€), which doesn't even feature the 120 Hz display. If I wanted to get a new Pro, I'd have to pay 1050€.
For me and for what I use my iPad for, the price has outgrown the value that the device provides. And I could see something similar happening with the other Apple products. 1300€ for the cheapest 14 Pro is getting ridiculous, and I wouldn't even consider paying 900€ for the standard 14 instead when it lacks so many features we've come to expect of smartphones at that price point.
I looked it up just now and my iPad Pro cost me 650€ in early 2018. Adjusted for inflation, it would now cost 730€. That's still 40€ less than what Apple is now asking for the iPad Air (770€), which doesn't even feature the 120 Hz display. If I wanted to get a new Pro, I'd have to pay 1050€.
For me and for what I use my iPad for, the price has outgrown the value that the device provides. And I could see something similar happening with the other Apple products. 1300€ for the cheapest 14 Pro is getting ridiculous, and I wouldn't even consider paying 900€ for the standard 14 instead when it lacks so many features we've come to expect of smartphones at that price point.
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A business is always going to try to grow profits as much as it figures it can.
Price gouging is when the price increases so much that it causes some injustice, ie. people needing a product but no longer being able to get it (key word: need). Think air conditioners double in price during a heat wave, and hybrid/electric cars marked up $20k during a gas price explosion. Although as we know in the latter case, low supply also contributes to price increases. That part can’t be helped. So for the term “price gouging” to apply, it requires a somewhat arbitrarily large price increase that causes people to not able to get what they need. The term doesn’t apply if low supply or inflation are the sole causes which would equally affect the entire industry, or if it’s a product one simply wants. Eg. if Lexus is the only brand increasing their prices because they think people will pay it, then they are free to do so. That’s not price gouging, because those who really need a car always have the option to get a Toyota (cheaper version of Lexus) or really any other cheaper brand.
There’s something I don’t understand.
I’ve read, can’t remember where, that Apple is apparently looking to increase revenue from services; now, I’m talking from a European perspective, we had pretty brutal price hikes here, and I still consider Apple services to be quite platform specific - I know Music and TV+ are platform agnostic but, at least for Music, it has, I believe, more features on Apple devices than it does on other platforms- but iCloud and Apple Arcade are tied to Apple devices.
So, here’s what I don’t understand, how does Apple expect to increase revenue from services when buying into their ecosystem, or just buying one device, has become so expensive? (At least in the EU)
As for the topic, of course I’m not happy about those price, luckily my devices won’t need to be substituted in the foreseeable future.
I’ve read, can’t remember where, that Apple is apparently looking to increase revenue from services; now, I’m talking from a European perspective, we had pretty brutal price hikes here, and I still consider Apple services to be quite platform specific - I know Music and TV+ are platform agnostic but, at least for Music, it has, I believe, more features on Apple devices than it does on other platforms- but iCloud and Apple Arcade are tied to Apple devices.
So, here’s what I don’t understand, how does Apple expect to increase revenue from services when buying into their ecosystem, or just buying one device, has become so expensive? (At least in the EU)
As for the topic, of course I’m not happy about those price, luckily my devices won’t need to be substituted in the foreseeable future.
Humans have somehow managed to survive a long time without A/C and electric cars.
Exactly, the definition of human “need” has been evolving with the society. Food, water, electricity, internet and phone (naturally, iOS or Android) are all considered as basic needs nowadays. Gouging or not, the bottom line is that once these things become human’s basic needs, it is just not a respectful thing to raise prices as much as corporations want.
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I don't really care about the price hikes of their services as I don't use any of them. Apple Music has the worst desktop app on the market, Apple TV+ has way too less content for 6.99€, I only used it as part of the free year.
The prices of the new iPhones and iPads however are insulting. This year's base model is not only 200€ more expensive than the iPhone 13 here in Germany, but also keeps the same chip and barely got any new features, not even USB-C. I wouldn't even consider buying it if it was at the same price point as last year's phone (799€). I also don't fall for Apple's strategy to purchase the pro model instead as I would NEVER pay that much money for an iPhone.
But then again, I don't use my phone as much as other people, it's not a replacement for my computer. I only really use it on the go and I don't care about the pro features. I'm currently using the iPhone 12 mini, which I got for only €500 as part of my contract. Why the hell would I buy an only marginally better phone for twice the amount, that's crazy! And don't even get me started on the new iPad 10, USB 2.0, seriously Apple? For that you expect me to pay almost 600 euros? You can even buy a brand new iPad mini 6 for less money in Germany.
The prices of the new iPhones and iPads however are insulting. This year's base model is not only 200€ more expensive than the iPhone 13 here in Germany, but also keeps the same chip and barely got any new features, not even USB-C. I wouldn't even consider buying it if it was at the same price point as last year's phone (799€). I also don't fall for Apple's strategy to purchase the pro model instead as I would NEVER pay that much money for an iPhone.
But then again, I don't use my phone as much as other people, it's not a replacement for my computer. I only really use it on the go and I don't care about the pro features. I'm currently using the iPhone 12 mini, which I got for only €500 as part of my contract. Why the hell would I buy an only marginally better phone for twice the amount, that's crazy! And don't even get me started on the new iPad 10, USB 2.0, seriously Apple? For that you expect me to pay almost 600 euros? You can even buy a brand new iPad mini 6 for less money in Germany.
Meh...maybe corporations can stop providing such products and someone else can take the job.
Free enterprise the cost is what consumers are willing to pay. You want or desire the service and or product we’ll pay up.
Another bait thread by a Newbie.
”Are you happy about the price hikes”. This is just another nuisance thread. It‘s not like there aren’t a million gripe threads about Apple’s prices in addition to all the other threads that eventually morph into gripe threads about Apple’s prices.
“Managed to survive”? People die in heat waves. I don’t know where you live, but here the government issues warnings for people to find a place with AC during rolling blackouts. Yet people still die, especially the elderly. It’s a need. And the car situation is more complicated but suffice it to say gas prices are historically high, by A LOT, so we’ll see how people survive this without losing their means to support themselves, if they haven’t already.
Who dies from having to use Windows or Android or an older/base model Mac or iOS? Please do answer this.
And exactly how much have prices risen? And exactly how much more is Apple increasing prices than the rest of the industry?
Applefans, like I said in an earlier post, tech is a need; having a particular brand of tech (Apple) is not.
I make my living from using high end macOS and iOS products. But if I need to, I can use an older model, or I can switch to Windows and Android. It would be less convenient, but I can definitely do my job.
While I agree the line between need and want is not always cut and dry, this situation is clear. Except for maybe a few extreme outlier cases, Apple is a brand people want, not need. I mean, your name says it all. Nobody has the name ComputerFan, because people aren’t fans of needs, they’re fans of wants.
Probably should just ban all that greedy private enterprise and let everything be produced by non-profit volunteers, who can set their own prices but can be overruled by Those in Charge.
Chicken wings I eat from the grocery store have gone from $5.49 a bag to $10.99. THAT bothers me and my wallet over the course of a year far more than anything Apple has done.
It's because the chickens are demanding higher wages and death benefits.
Everything is price hike now. Just left Geico after 13 years. Just turned 40. No claims with Geico. Nothing. Just like that got a 30% price increase. Reading many stating this with Geico. Shopped around and switched to Progressive. By paying it in full saved that 35%. Even doing the monthly payments was still 15% cheaper over Geico. Now with my iPhone…nah I ain’t getting a cheaper phone. Im heavily invested in apple eco system for so many years. With apple everything works good and smooth. I pay for convenience with apple.
Be glad you never had any claims. Long story short, I've known people who have been horribly screwed over by Geico, including one tragic case who thought it was funny that the girl in the accident, who suffered a normal life ending brain injury in the accident, called a beaver a seal (pictures on the wall) during one of the settlement discussions.
Yeah, they screwed her over too.
3 factors to this IMO:
The biggest is Wall St expectations - Apple have a legal obligation to shareholders to give them a good return on their investment, and the bar has been set very high for a long while now. Just being very profitable isn't enough, they need to keep increasing it as well. Given sales volumes have little room to grow meaningfully, it's now about maximising the average selling price, and enticing everyone they can to spend that little bit more - see the new 10th gen iPad at $449 to hopefully entice a few base iPad buyers to part with that extra $120 over the 9th gen. Presumably we will also get a new 14/16" 'iPad Ultra' tier slotting in above the Pro lineup to pull the same trick at the high end as well. The same could easily be true with iPhones if the next XR-based SE slots in above the current offering, and we get an iPhone ultra at an even higher price.
Next is inflation and Forex considerations, this is mainly for ex-US buyers, and basically compounds whatever increases Apple makes to their USD base prices. Theoretically it could also act in reverse if/ when things return to 'normal' and partially reverse the currently painful uplifts.
Finally is the increasing cost of tech breakthroughs. The iPhone started out with a nice but pretty run of the mill large SD touchscreen. It now has an ultra-high pixel density, high refresh, P3 colour XDR custom shaped OLED panel - it's bound to cost more even excluding inflation etc. Same with the off the shelf Samsung chip in the first iPhone vs the bleeding edge custom A16 in the current flagship, and probably virtually every other component. RAM, storage, camera modules. It's all more bleeding edge spec for spec now than it was in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the pricing reflects that.
The biggest is Wall St expectations - Apple have a legal obligation to shareholders to give them a good return on their investment, and the bar has been set very high for a long while now. Just being very profitable isn't enough, they need to keep increasing it as well. Given sales volumes have little room to grow meaningfully, it's now about maximising the average selling price, and enticing everyone they can to spend that little bit more - see the new 10th gen iPad at $449 to hopefully entice a few base iPad buyers to part with that extra $120 over the 9th gen. Presumably we will also get a new 14/16" 'iPad Ultra' tier slotting in above the Pro lineup to pull the same trick at the high end as well. The same could easily be true with iPhones if the next XR-based SE slots in above the current offering, and we get an iPhone ultra at an even higher price.
Next is inflation and Forex considerations, this is mainly for ex-US buyers, and basically compounds whatever increases Apple makes to their USD base prices. Theoretically it could also act in reverse if/ when things return to 'normal' and partially reverse the currently painful uplifts.
Finally is the increasing cost of tech breakthroughs. The iPhone started out with a nice but pretty run of the mill large SD touchscreen. It now has an ultra-high pixel density, high refresh, P3 colour XDR custom shaped OLED panel - it's bound to cost more even excluding inflation etc. Same with the off the shelf Samsung chip in the first iPhone vs the bleeding edge custom A16 in the current flagship, and probably virtually every other component. RAM, storage, camera modules. It's all more bleeding edge spec for spec now than it was in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the pricing reflects that.
The push for services is really a push for what they call "recurring revenue". Companies, and stock buyers, want to see recurring revenue because it represents a sort of "guaranteed" income stream. Sure, it could go down, but it generally represents a strong baseline income that can be counted on even if product sales go down, as it's derived from the existing installed base.
Except that with ever increasing prices, new gadgets are increasingly falling into the the bigger purchase category.
Prices will ever increase because the unit value of money decreases over time, and costs go up.
Wages also go up over time.
All that matters is the RELATIVE increase in the cost of products compared to wages.
I have not seen anything indicating apple's product costs are over and above the cost of inflation and factoring in any currency value fluctuations that may apply, it given the current strong dollar and weak euro and pound, I can see this being an issue in Europe...not so much in the U.S.
Can't really blame a price increase on Apple's supposed greed when the cause is inflation and currency fluctuation. Those are both out of its control.
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