Apple found a good opportunity in the iPhone 7 launch to ramp up the prices of its products in the United Kingdom, as the company fears that the British pound is weaker after the nation's vote to leave the EU.
A number of iPhone, iPad Pro and iPad Air models recently saw bloated prices in the UK, while prices on the United States stayed the same.
Sept. 7 was a big day for Apple, which rolled out its latest smartphone, the iPhone 7, alongside the second installment of the Apple Watch. The company also announced a notable upgrade, meaning that many of its devices will have a default storage space of 32 GB instead of 16 GB.
After the release of the iPhone 7, the prices on Apple's American website stayed the same. Meanwhile, UK Apple fans had a bit of a shock when they saw the modified price tags for the company's products in their country.
The iPhone 7 stands out as the most obvious example.
To put it in perspective, know that the most affordable iPhone 6s came with a price tag of £539 ($720). The most affordable iPhone 7, however, asks customers to shell out £599 ($800) for one. It is worth mentioning again that the U.S. price point for the basic iPhone 7 was and remains $649.
The Brits who want to purchase the most advanced iPhone 7 Plus model, which packs 256 GB of internal storage, must pay £919 (about $1,227). That is £100 ($134) more than the price of its predecessor.
The discrepancy also applies to other gadgets from the company as well.
The 16 GB iPad Air 2 was formerly sold for £349 ($467). The upgraded basic variant holsters 32 GB and costs no less than £379 ($507). Those who wanted to get it via cellular options used to pay £449 ($600), but recently this price has been ramped to £499 ($667).
Keep in mind that the U.S. prices for the same device are $399 and $529 for the cellular option, respectively.
For an extra layer of comparison, know that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro was already carrying a minimum storage of 32 GB. In Britain, the basic variant of the device now costs £729 ($973), up from £679 ($907). Should you purchase it in the United States, you need to shell out only $799 for the basic variant.
The company even bloated the prices for the Apple Pencil, the stylus accessory for the iPad that makes it such a powerful tool. It used to cost £79 ($106), and is now £99 ($133).
So, why the sudden surge in UK pricing?
Apple refused to give an official statement on the matter, but chances are that this is a response to the weakening of the British pound in the wake of the Brexit vote. As Apple operates in U.S. dollars, the company could have tweaked the prices to cover the exchange rate risks.
Keep in mind that the iPhone 7 is an incremental enhancement over its predecessor, the iPhone 6s.
The big changes include water resistance, an improved camera and the (finally confirmed) axing of the headphone jack. It remains to be seen if users will rather use wireless headphones or opt to get headphones with a Lightning cable adaptor.
