Exchange rates change the price of imports, which changes inflation.
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iPhone 14 Pro Max Why do Europeans complain about non-existent price increases?
- Thread starter JPack
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I agree with almost everything you said except the bit in bold. You absolutely should compared the iPhone 3G with the iPhone 14 Pro - the 3G was the only, and best, iPhone they sold back then - it's equivalent now is not the SE - it's the 14 Pro/Max.
You're absolutely right though - Laptops are quite good value for money compared to before. However let's also consider economies of scale compared to 1980/90s and now. There's also stiffer competition that's helped keep that price in check. And funnily enough, somehow, Apple is leading the charge with performance to cost ratio with the M series chips.
the thing is, the price is dollar is exactly why this is relevant
2 weeks ago:
Poland:
Samsung Z Flip 4 128GB = 999$ == 5149 PLN
Iphone 14 Pro 128gb = 999$ =? 6499 PLN
Edit:
Or magic numbers here like:
MacBook Air M1 lowest model $999 == 5799 PLN
Or
Apple Watch Ultra = 799$ == 4799 PLN
And there is the best:
iPhone 14 lowest model = 799$ == 5199 PLN
So? Stop telling about $ ratio, it’s just greedy
Poland:
Samsung Z Flip 4 128GB = 999$ == 5149 PLN
Iphone 14 Pro 128gb = 999$ =? 6499 PLN
Edit:
Or magic numbers here like:
MacBook Air M1 lowest model $999 == 5799 PLN
Or
Apple Watch Ultra = 799$ == 4799 PLN
And there is the best:
iPhone 14 lowest model = 799$ == 5199 PLN
So? Stop telling about $ ratio, it’s just greedy
Last edited:
To be fair the demand for the iPhone 14 has been extremely low in the US too, and there was no price increase here. The lack of demand might be due to the perception that this is a rather lackluster update rather than the price increases.
But ya, everything has gone up in price here too. A 30-40% increase in the cost of milk/food items is also what I am seeing in my local stores. Although sometimes they just raise the price by 10% while decrease package size by 20%. End result is the same though. That is why the fact that the iPhones didn’t go up in price in the US is so surprising because surely everything else is going up. I do wonder if the stronger dollar has somehow helped Apple keep prices the same in the US.
There are a number of posts in this thread referring to consumer protection laws. Let's clear something - the warranty by law is against the merchant and not the manufacturer. Say the law gives 5 years protection and you purchased the iPhone from a retailer, not Apple Store. During those 5 years, you make warranty claims with the store, not Apple. In the first year, because Apple warranty is one year, you may claim against Apple as well - it is your choice.
Well, that's the whole problem with applying inflation to technology - it's rather subjective what you compare with what. With something like bread - if someone compared a basic sliced white sandwich loaf in 2010 with an artisan ancient-grain sourdough in 2020 you'd probably call them out on not comparing like-with-like. Of course, once upon a time, sliced white bread was the expensive new novelty & the best thing since sliced... er... indoor bathrooms. The "standard basket of goods" for inflation is constantly being refined to reflect those changes (which is why working out the cost of a Mac Plus in 'modern money' is a bit pointless - people didn't buy Mac Plus' so that they could chat to Aunt Mary on Zoom).
If the SE had been ditched, or maybe left unchanged, then a 14 would be the only option. However - the iPhone SE is still available, recently updated, and already significantly more powerful than - lets say the iPhone 4 (leaving the 3 and 3G as the novelty for early adopters) - and more than adequate for the original purposes of personal communication, personal organiser, navigation, music player, snapshots etc. which are still what some of us want from a phone. As I see it, the top-end phones are really a different class of product, being pitched as (YMMV) suitable for serious photography and video work and offering processing power comparable to laptop computers - something not really conceivable in the iPhone 4 days.
...the big iPhone "price hike" would have come if Apple had dropped the SE or left it without updates. Offering a more expensive option - while still keeping the entry-level updated - isn't necessarily a price hike.
Economies of scale - yes - but competition was ferocious in the 1980s, especially before Microsoft and Intel landed on top & the market became dominated by clone-makers bolting together the same components.
Quite true.
But - in terms of any affect on pricing - that only changes who you, as a consumer, have to call/sue when it breaks.
The cost has to come from somewhere: either the manufacturer offers compatible warranty services as part of their contract with the merchant or the margin between the wholesale price and the retail price has to cover the [edit]
OTOH, I'd rather pay a bit more up front (which will be kept in check by competition) than have to buy an expensive extended warranty as a "hidden extra".
Canada here, we're shedding tears into our hearty non-watered down beer and maple syrup with you Europe. The price hikes are painful.
Reminds me of a PC Magazine article read by I think John C Dvorak. He basically said the computer you WANT is always "$3000" a statement which has held from the time I bought my first "PC" back in 1991, through today.
I'd rather pay a little less up front, then skip the entirely unnecessary extended warranty. As a consumer, I prefer choice.
Well I just looked at the exchange rate on xe.com and calculated the price for the top of the range iPhone 14 Pro Max
UK price is $1,936.52 at today’s exchange rate
USA price (assuming 10% sales tax) $1758.90
That’s quite a non existent price difference
UK price is $1,936.52 at today’s exchange rate
USA price (assuming 10% sales tax) $1758.90
That’s quite a non existent price difference
Not in the UK. Whenever I’ve had issues with Apple products I have been referred to Apple who have taken in the replacement process even if I bought the iPhone through a carrier.
It’s not just Apple, part of the reason I switched was because I was sick of paying almost a month of line rental to be without a phone because I had to mail it in. One of my friends told me that I could walk into Apple and get it looked at (today I had an appointment with a genius who fixed my issue and made sure my other phone didn’t have it. All credit to Cardiff Apple Store)
Always had first class service at Cardiff’s Apple store including replacing a more than 2 year old iPhone for free.
Yep same here, they replaced a iPad Mini for me that had screen bleed even though it was out of warranty, because “it happened in warranty as far as we are concerned, you just couldn’t get to us because of the pandemic”
BTW: $999 exchanges to 4,954.52 PLN
S799 exchanges to 3,961.39 PLN
Well, Apple has always been using really funny exchange rates in less interesting countries. We had a reason to go to the US and buy Apple products there, the price difference was so huge it literally paid up for the plane ticket and then some more.
However when it comes to difference between AWU $799 and iP14 $799 it is about product segmentation. Apple will sell a few of these watches in Poland, so their distributor (AB S.A., IIRC?) can take the hit, no harm will be done.
Yeah. Have you ever had the misfortune of trying Samsung after sales support? I wouldn’t wish it on my enemy.
I have indeed back in 2012 and I have them to thank for inspiring me to move over to iPhone. I’ve never looked back!
Nope I heard bad things and stayed away, I was a Sony user until I made the switch. Whilst their team were good, everything had to be posted in, inspected, letter sent (not emailed, posted) with any costs plus their service charge, which had to be then replied to before they would fix the machine. Again this had to be posted
It's because
- Europe as a continent full of countries and densely populated is completely different from the US,which makes the telco market completely different.
- the EU has a great history of precise yet fair market regulation for telco.
Ouch, not EU. But I believe you've kept the legislation. Also, EU: £7.11 for two SIM cards, unlimited calls, 60GB data, major operator originating from France.
Yea US gets the shaft on a few things cause of uneven population.
Cell plans like you mentioned.
Internet
Mass Transit, especially trains. Wish we had trains equal speed or better than planes instead of half your vacation in travel time.
It will be a while before most places get a train the same speed as a plane, an average airliner goes between 460 and 575 mph where as an average train goes at top speed around 124mph but few do because of the number of stops they need to make.