The price of Apple’s latest smartphones has increased by as much as 4.7% since their launch in South Africa just a month ago as the weak rand takes its toll on the cost of imported consumer electronics.
The retail price of the iPhone 14 line-up, which already saw a big hike in prices at launch in September compared to the launch prices for the iPhone 13 series phones, has risen by almost 5% in the past month in some cases.
Only the 128GB and 256GB models of the entry-level iPhone 14 series have not seen a price bump — yet.
Using the latest prices charged by the iStore, the largest Apple retailer in South Africa, TechCentral has determined the following:
iPhone 14
- 128GB: Price is unchanged from the launch price of R20 599
- 256GB: Price is unchanged from the launch price of R23 199
- 512GB: Price has risen by 4.6%, from R28 499 at launch to R29 799
iPhone 14 Pro
- 128GB: Price has risen by 4.7%, from R25 699 at launch to R26 899
- 256GB: Price has risen by 4.5%, from R28 299 at launch to R29 499
- 512GB: Price has risen by 4.2%, from R33 499 at launch to R34 899
- 1TB: Price has risen by 4.4%, from R38 599 at launch to R40 299
iPhone 14 Pro Max
- 128GB: Price has risen by 3.9%, from R28 399 at launch to R29 499
- 256GB: Price has risen by 3.9%, from R30 999 at launch to R32 199
- 512GB: Price has risen by 4.2%, from R35 999 at launch to R37 499
- 1TB: Price has risen by 3.6%, from R41 499 at launch to R42 999
These additional price increases come on top of the higher prices charged by the iStore for this year’s line-up compared to last year’s iPhone 13 models. The cost in South Africa of the iPhone 14 phones was already as much as 20.3% higher compared to the 2021 models.
News of the further increase to the retail prices for the iPhone 14 models comes as Apple imposes big price hikes in South Africa (and other markets around the world) for its value-added services, including Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
TechCentral reported earlier on Tuesday that the price of Apple TV+ has jumped with immediate effect by 47%, from R84.99 to R124.99/month. The price of Apple Music has climbed by 16.7% to R69.99/month. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media
