Today Apple announced the official release date and prices for the next version of OS X codenamed Leopard. In the announcement Steve Jobs was happy to point out that “And everyone gets the ‘Ultimate’ version, packed with all the new innovative features, for just $129.” which was a swipe of Windows Vistas and its many versions.
However not quite everyone will get OS X 10.5 for $129. The price in the UK for OS X 10.5 will be £85 and in the Republic of Ireland it will cost 129 Euros.
The current exchange rate between the UK Pound and the US Dollar is roughly £1 = $2. This means that OS X should be selling in the UK for just £65. That is a difference of £20.
Similarly for Ireland, OS X will sell at the same magic price of 129, but not dollars, this time Euros. At the moment 1 Euro is worth about $1.42 meaning Apple make an extra 38 Euros from the Irish.
Even taking in to account that exchange rate fluctuate and Apple need to set the price a little higher to avoid loses when the exchange rates alter. These huge differences are not fair.
Come on Apple, we want OS X for £70 in the UK (£15 lower than advertised now) and for Eur 100 in Ireland.
For those working in dollars, £20 is $40 and Eur 38 is $53. So for an Irish man to buy OS X, it costs him $53 more! Go figure.
The thing with the “everyone gets the ‘Ultimate’ version” was a killer. Mean!
OK. So we should at VAT on to the figures above (as the $129 does not include the equivalent US sales tax). But still, that seems to be £76 or thereabouts – a hefty 11-12% markup.