Apple Just Raised The Price Of Apps In Europe: Here's How Much They're Going To Cost You
Following fluctuating currency exchange rates and varying European VAT, Apple has moved to protect its bottom line by bumping up the prices of apps in the European App Store.
The amounts may not sound like a lot - with some of the cheaper apps, it's just an extra 10 or 20p.
Apps are sorted into multiple pricing tiers. The cheapest go for £0.69, for example - this is being increased to £0.79. Any apps that used to sell for £1.99 are now priced at £2.29. Above this, the prices are increasing by a pound or even more, depending on the previous amount. (It doesn't appear to be a set percentage increase across all apps.)
Apple previously announced record App Store sales in the new year, with half a billion dollars in sales in the first week of January 2015. Last year, the App Store saw revenues of $10 billion in total.
Here's how much some of the most popular apps in the App Store cost now:
Monopoly, Angry Birds, Doodle Jump - Some of the most popular games in Apple's App Store, all three are seeing a bump from 69p to 79p.
Football Manager Handheld 2015 - This sports simulator is going up by a pound, from £6.99 to £7.99.
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock - Designed to monitor your sleep patterns and wake you at the optimum time, it's the fourth most popular paid app. It now costs £0.79, up from £0.69.
Ultimate Guitar Tabs - It boasts of being the "largest catalogue of songs with guitar and ukulele chords, tabs, lyrics and guitar lessons." From today, it costs £2.29 instead of £1.99.
TurboScan - This app offers a handy way to import documents into your iOS device using the camera. Formerly £1.99, it's now going to set you back £2.29.
My Baby's Beat - An innovative app that uses the iPhone microphone to listen to unborn babies' heartbeats. It now costs £3.99 - an increase of a pound.
Thousands of other apps across the App Store are seeing similar increases, ranging from 10p to a pound or more, depending on the app price. Interestingly though, not every app is seeing a price jump. Both Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Minecraft are currently holding steady, and remain available for £4.99.
Canada is also being saddled with price increases-but unlike the rest of European, Iceland is getting lucky. The frigid island nation is actually due to see a price decrease.
Here's the letter Apple sent out to developers informing them of the increase:
