Apple has An impending price increase was announcedThe App Store is available in many countries around Europe, Asia and Africa. In one instance, this will increase by more than 30%.
The increase will take place on October 5 and will apply to the existing pricing tiers: In the Euro zone, for example, the lowest (non-free) tier will increase from €0.99 to €1.19. Developers have the option to offset the higher prices by moving their apps to a lower price tier. However, they might not be able keep the price the same.
The updated tier price list for the Euro zone is available in full (plus a separate listing for Montenegro, Chile, Japan, Malaysian, Pakistan, South Korea and South Korea). The VergeNotes that Japan is experiencing the greatest price rise, with more than 30% of its prices increasing.
In its announcement Apple does not attempt to justify the increase, but it’s likely that the move comes in response to currency fluctuation. Apple links global app prices to US dollars, with all currencies being weaker at the moment in comparison to the USD. For example, the Japanese yen recently fell to a 24 year low against the dollar. (And as ReutersApple may lower prices sometimes for the same reason, points out Mark. UK readers might be aware that sterling is also in trouble, but the UK App Store has been spared price increases.