Apple Slaps Up to 10% Price Increase on Built-to-Order Mac Configurations in Many Countries

Not enough profits for the trillion dollar company.

Relax everyone. Apple isn't price gouging or being greedy. They are responding to the collapse of foreign currencies like the UK pound, euro, yen, etc. All those currencies have been pummeled in the last 2 weeks as forex traders rush to the US dollar for security.

As currencies collapse against the dollar, products and parts naturally become more expensive overseas as almost all imports into countries are conducted in dollars and not the local currency.

This is a normal price change completely expected with the plummeting forex market.

So. Just. Chill. with the greed and conspiracy theories mkay?

Virtually every other company that relies on importing products across national borders will be rising prices soon in those countries if they haven't already.

As for why BTO prices have risen in the countries and not prices of standard configs, it's because stores and warehouses in those countries are already stocked with the standard config models – they were imported into the country BEFORE the forex collapse. BTO models are, as the name suggests, built to order in overseas factories and then STILL need to be imported under the higher costs due to the fall in international forex.

If foreign currencies stay depressed against the US dollar, Apple will eventually need to raise prices of standard config Macs in foreign countries too because those will need to be imported at the now higher prices into those countries when the existing stock in those countries run out.

Even as a Brit, I'm not too surprised about this. GBP to USD has dropped at least 10% since the introduction of the 16". Probably not helped by COVID and USD being a relative safe haven.



After 20% VAT, we're actually paying (slightly) less than the USA for base models at the moment (although it really doesn't feel like it).

On the upside this has solidified my decision to switch back to PC. The BTO prices from Apple are quite frankly insulting. If you can honestly defend this you need to have a good hard look at what the prices for the components cost from literally anyone else. Apple RAM has nothing special about it and in the case of the Mac Pro it was shown to be downright bottom of the barrel stuff.

Even as a Brit, I'm not too surprised about this. GBP to USD has dropped at least 10% since the introduction of the 16". Probably not helped by COVID and USD being a relative safe haven.

After 20% VAT, we're actually paying (slightly) less than the USA for base models at the moment (although it really doesn't feel like it).

Indeed, crying shame really seeing as how we don't have the high salaries of the US to make up for it. Average of $41k in the UK versus $65k in the US.

This is disturbing. We can only hope they don’t stick with these kind of business practices and this isn’t successful enough to become precedent.

BREAKING: Sometimes companies need to raise prices.

The good news is people have choices. Don't like the increase? Reward another company with your currency and purchase their products instead.