Apple smartphone owners in Japan have encountered an unpleasant surprise: the company has significantly revised its pricing policy in the local market. In the Japanese section of the Apple online store, prices for the smartphone lineup have increased, affecting the iPhone 16, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The price increase reached up to 11%.
Reason for the price hike: the yen exchange rate
This event occurred against the backdrop of news about price increases in June, when Apple announced a rise in the cost of a significant portion of its products — mainly Mac computers and iPad tablets. At that time, the company explained the initiative by a global shortage of memory chips and the associated price increase. However, the manufacturer did not raise prices on iPhones then.
Experts suggest that the current price increase for smartphones in Japan is related to a different cause — over the last year, the yen has significantly weakened against the US dollar. This makes imported electronics more expensive for Japanese consumers.
Different degrees of price increase
Not all models have increased in price equally. The cost of the slim iPhone Air increased the most in Japan — by 11.3%. The budget iPhone 17e saw the smallest price increase — only 8%. At the same time, price tags for iPhones in other countries around the world have not changed, noted the resource MacRumors.
Interestingly, the company raised prices for iCloud+ and Apple Music subscriptions both in Japan and in other markets, indicating a global adjustment of service costs.
