Apple logo (Photo : Reuters)
It is a bad day for Apple users outside of the United States as the company has released an official statement stating that they are hiking up its prices in the Apple Store in Canada and some parts of the European region.
According to Apple, the increase in its app prices due to cover adjustments in terms of value added taxes in each country and all the fluctuating foreign exchange rates.
A memo sent to Apple's software developer's states that the price hike will affect all European Union countries, Canada and Norway. There will be a price reduction in Iceland and some changes in Russia. The price changes were reported to be in response to a new legislation passed in the European Union that increased the prices of apps, ebooks and even MP3's.
The legislation took effect on Jan.1 and the increase will be about 6.5 percent and affects the entire European region, while most reports indicate that the increase will be covered by the companies some consumer groups fear that it will passed down to the consumers.
The price increase in Apple products and software has already become a routine for the company in order to adjust varying economic situations on a specific country. Similar changes were also done before in the regions of Australia, India, New Zealand and Israel.
On the other hand, despite the price increase in its services, Apple has had a great opening for the year 2015. During the first week of the year, Apple has reported to have amassed more than $500 million in purchases in the Apple App store and set a record for most apps downloaded within a 24-hour period during the New Year. Various reports also show that Apple has given out a massive $25 billion payout to its app developers.
Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet, Software and Services Eddy Cue issued a statement saying, "This year is off to a tremendous start after a record-breaking year for the App Store and our developer community. We're so proud of the creativity and innovation developers bring to the apps they create for iOS users."
