We all know that the cloud vault we call iCloud is the savior for our photos, documents, and the endless backups on our iPhones. But it seems Apple has decided to ask for a slightly higher rent to keep these files organized and safe! According to a new update in the company’s technical support document, Apple has raised iCloud+ subscription prices in 8 countries around the world. Unfortunately, our Arab region is not immune to these changes, as the list included Egypt and Turkey, along with several other countries, making it a bit more expensive to maintain your digital space.
New increases: From Nigeria to Egypt and Turkey
The list of countries affected by the price hike includes: Nigeria, Turkey, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. These increases range from 11% up to 55% in some regions, depending on the type of cloud plan and the country in question.
Nigeria bore the brunt of this increase, with the price of the 50GB plan jumping from 900 Naira to 1300 Nigerian Naira. Turkey followed in the list of highest increases, where the price of the 50GB plan rose from 39.99 Turkish Lira to 49.99 Turkish Lira. Naturally, service users in Egypt will also notice a change in their monthly subscription prices based on exchange rates and the local currency.
Why did prices rise? The dollar asserts its influence as usual
The reason behind this move is not a sudden desire by Apple to increase its profits without justification, but rather a direct reflection of global exchange rate fluctuations against the US dollar. For example, the Japanese Yen saw a noticeable decline over the past year, with the dollar rising by nearly 10% against it. The same applies to the Turkish Lira and the Egyptian Pound, as their values have declined, prompting Apple to adjust its prices to maintain the actual value of its earnings.
It is worth noting that subscription prices in the United States and the rest of the countries not mentioned in the list remained unchanged, confirming that the primary driver for these updates is the regional economic situation of each country rather than a comprehensive change in Apple’s global pricing policy.
What do iCloud+ plans offer users?
Apple grants all accounts a basic free storage space of only 5GB, which is barely enough to back up a few notes and photos. This is where paid iCloud+ plans come in, which not only give you more storage space but also come loaded with additional security features such as “Hide My Email,” browsing privacy protection via “iCloud Private Relay,” and “HomeKit Secure Video” for home surveillance cameras.
These additional features make it difficult for many iPhone and iPad users to do without the subscription, as the service has become an integral part of the daily user experience, digital privacy protection, and automatic backups for precious files and photos.
Should we expect further increases in other Arab countries?
At present, the increase is limited to the eight announced countries only. However, since the global economy is in a state of constant instability, Apple monitors exchange markets continuously to adjust its service prices periodically. If you live in a country where the currency is experiencing significant volatility against the dollar, it is likely that it will join the list later. Therefore, it is always good to review your cloud plans and see if you really need all that space or if you can clean up your cloud and save some costs.
Source:
Leave a Reply