Apple raised retail prices in Japan by up to 10% for key products, including the iPhone 17, as the yen's weakness persists. The price adjustment applies not only to iPhones but also to Apple Watch and AirPods.
On the 19th, Bloomberg said Apple raised the price of the base iPhone 17 model with 256 gigabytes (GB) of storage on its official online store in Japan to 142,800 yen (about 1.31 million won) from 129,800 yen (about 1.19 million won). The increase is about 10%.
The iPhone 17 Pro with the same storage capacity rose 8.3% to 194,800 yen (about 1.79 million won) from 179,800 yen. Prices for some Apple Watch and AirPods models also climbed by as much as about 10%.
Apple's Japan unit did not provide an official position on the reason for the price increase. Industry watchers say Apple adjusted prices to defend the profitability of its Japan operations as the yen's value remains at its lowest level in decades.
Apple sells products in Japan in yen and reports results in dollars. When the yen weakens, even selling the same products can reduce sales and profit when converted into dollars. In Japan, as a weak yen raises import expense, corporations selling overseas products have been raising prices one after another.
About three weeks ago, Apple also raised global retail prices for some products, including Mac, iPad, and Vision Pro, citing factors such as rising memory chip prices. The iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, which were excluded from the price changes at that time, saw price increases this time only in the Japan market. There are no known plans yet to raise iPhone prices further outside Japan.