iStore has increased its prices for a number of Apple products including the entire iPhone 14 range (which already cost up to R6,200 more compared to last year), Apple Watches and even new MacBooks. The price hike has seen some products increase by over R2,000 and some by R10,500. Apple’s recently-launched Watch Ultra, for example, went from R18,999 to R19,999 overnight. iStore has also marked up the new MacBook Air M2 from R23,999 to R25,999.
Sadly, these price hikes affect products that were already released in South Africa at much higher price points than ever before. The iPhone 14 range launched in South Africa last month and the cheapest model, the iPhone 14, increased by R3,300. Some of those phones are now even more expensive with an R1,000 – R2,000 price hike across the range.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB model will now set you back R42,999. That’s R1,500 more expensive than last month. The device already cost R6,200 more than last year’s iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB. That’s an R7,700 price hike compared to last year’s iPhone.
South Africans will pay more when picking up a new Apple Watch too. The Apple Watch Series 8 was released in SA starting at R9,599 for the 41mm. That model now costs R9,999. The 44mm was released at R10,299 and now costs R10,899. The Stainless Steel 41mm sold at R16,799 and now went up to R17,599 followed by the 44mm which was R17,999 and now costs R18,799.
What is also interesting is that iStore has increased the prices of older products too. In particular, last year’s MacBook Pro range. These products have seen a substantial price hike. The MacBook Pro 14-inch M1 Pro model retailed for R36,299 at launch. It has now gone up to R42,199. The Macbook Pro 16-inch has seen the biggest hit. The Macbook Pro 16-inch M1 Max 1TB model launched at R63,499. It has now gone up to R73,999. That is an R10,500 price increase.
Buying an Apple product was already expensive in SA. South Africans who travel often opt for buying Apple products abroad due to the large markups done locally. The iPhone 14 was almost R8,000 cheaper in the US and Australia which is a substantial saving. While the brand is known for its premium price tags, these new price hikes will likely nudge those who can “just” afford to buy Apple, out of the market.
Source: iStore
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