I’ve been on the fence about a Forerunner 255 all summer though, at ~$500 Canadian, with multi-band GPS, it feels like the current steal of all fitness/GPS watches.
That said, the Ultra seems to be hitting the same price point as the Fenix 7, and is much less than some of the Epix or even more specialized Dive/Aviation/Marine watches.
It certainly does hit the sweet spot for them, but it’s simply worse than if they were able to deliver faster processors. :\ Being stuck on the same one for three years is lame, sorry. People want things that better processors enable (longer battery life, more hardware/software features, more frequently updating complications, more frequent health checks, more ambitious apps.)
I’m glad we can now change the volume on the new AirPod Pros using a gesture.
A few years ago I bought a very expensive remote control for my current pair. It allowed me to safely change the volume when I went for a bike ride.
It also allowed me to tell the time, which was handy.
The Exchange Rate between EUR and USD at the 14.09.2021 was 1€ = 1,1805 US$
The Prices that were announced on the Apple Event on that day were:
Converted into Euro with the Exchange Rate of that day would have result in the following (Price in Brackets incl. 16% Sale-Tax):
But the actual prices, announced from Apple on that Day in Germany were:
That means, the Price difference between the iPhone in the US and Germany, calculated with the Exchange Rate from the 14.09.2022 were:
iPhone 13 increase by 262,26 USD (134,42 USD)
iPhone mini increase by 245,39 USD (132,37 USD)
iPhone 13 Pro increase by 357,38 USD (197,55 USD)
iPhone 13 ProMax increase by 375,43 USD (199,59 USD)
That means roughly, the price in Germany was by the value of an additional iPhone SE higher, than in the US, without any obvious reasons!
Does the German price include VAT?
Because U.S. prices don’t include tax, and iirc, Apple charges sales tax is most or close to all states.
On the flip side, I am temporarily in Medford, Oregon doing some river guide work and I just realized that I won’t be paying any sales tax on my Apple Watch Ultra.
Thanks for asking, that might be the reason, you could read two prices (one within Brackets) within my post… 
Ah, good point. I tend to forget that European prices typically include VAT.
In Indiana (7% tax), that $999 13 Pro becomes $1068.93. In Texas (at least in the suburban area north of Dallas — they might vary slightly by county), that $999 is really $1081.42 (8.25% tax).
That eats up some of the difference Ulli’s seeing, but not all of it.
Nope!
I included the VAT at the prices I set into the (BRACKETS)!
And BTW, not everywhere in the US you even have to pay VAT, as fas as I remember.
Noting that VAT and sales tax are different (but related) things. The EU, by my understanding, requires VAT to be included in the “sticker price”, which isn’t true for sales tax in the US.
If Apple did sticker prices in the US the same way they do for Europe (sales tax built in, presumably at the highest state sales tax rate) that $799 USD would be about $856. That narrows the gap somewhat.
Then add in EU-specific legal requirements (i.e. a required two-year hardware guarantee as opposed to a single year), import duties, and the situation where Apple prices products at the beginning of a year and keeps them level over the course of the year, and it’s still higher - but not by nearly as much.
For example, as of yesterday, that 899 Euro iPhone 13 was about 888 USD, which is about $30 over the US equivalent. The Euro was been devaluing against the dollar at the time of the iPhone rollout, and has been devaluing more since. So to me it seems like Apple made some economic predictions and priced accordingly.
Oops — missed that! (20 char)
It varies a lot by state. Most states have sales tax, but some of those that have it exempt some types of goods (usually things like food and non-luxury clothing items).
I think it’s more complex than exchange rates.
I would imagine pricing is based on the buying capability of their target customers.
This variable pricing wouldn’t go over well in the US where people in, say, NY make higher wages than people in MS doing the same work. But for different countries, it seems to work.
There are also export and import taxes. These may be different for, say, China —> Germany than China —> US. Since Apple is an American company, there may be other taxes, duties, etc. even if the goods don’t physically pass through the US.
Pricing might include exchange rate speculation too, but as others previously pointed out, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation.
Not an expert on any of the above, perhaps someone with expertise will chime in.
Big price increase in the UK and some of the headline features unavailable here. Right now with many families facing rising prices it’ll be interesting to see how many want a higher monthly phone tariff to get the latest and greatest.
Did they say when will iOS 16 going to be released? I think iPhones have become too expensive especially during these times. I will hold on to my phone for a few years more.
Yes, on Monday (September 12th).
Regarding the price increase: with the US being the exception, the prices apparently have gone up through most parts of the world. I am not criticizing Apple for the increase because it is a result of the overall situation given the currency fluctuation and inflation, but it definitely has an impact. If only Apple lowered their prices when the currencies went into the different direction… Apparently it does only work into one direction. Oh well… 
I am happy for the U.S. Apple customers! At least they will be able to get the shiny new stuff for the old price.
I train a lot on the cycle. Maybe my info is outdated, feel free to correct me. Neither the powermeter or the cadence sensor work with the Apple Watch. Most use the ANT+ protocol and can be used with Garmin, Polar, etc. There is a lot of interchangeability between brands, just not anything working with the Apple Watch. For serious training, I am getting way more out of a Garmin.
I was hoping on updates on this one. Sadly, no.
Correct. The price on the sticker is what you pay at the cashier.
There is a concept in economics called Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Prices can’t get too out of whack because you could make a profit by just buying the product in one country and selling it in another. I haven’t done the math, but here is the data from the OECD:
There’s a book on the history of Commodore (“On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise And Fall of Commodore”). Don’t quote me on the numbers, but the C64 had a price in the US, something like $299. When entering the European market, Jack Tramiel set the price at $499. Or something like that. In any case, a huge difference. His rationale: “Europeans pay more”. 
Often price differences can’t just be explained by exchange rates, VAT and. Sometimes it’s just “willingness to pay” in different markets. Not claiming it’s the case right now. But in the past, there was sometimes a huge price gap between many products. I was in the US 3 months ago and while most stuff costs “the same”, there were huge differences (cheaper or more expensive). The one I noticed: bottled water. I thought the lady at the counter was wrong. Why does it cost so much more? Price Rankings by Country of Water (1.5 liter bottle) (Markets) Can’t explain that with exchange rates, taxes, special technology or whatever. And production costs (a bottle of PET, water) are way below selling prices.
The difference right now seems to be “OK”. But with the first iPhone, everybody who went to the US or knew somebody travelling to the US, tried to get a US-iPhone. Because the difference was HUGE. Way more than any change in exchange rates since then.
It seems, we in Europe are paying more for iPhones, less for water. And other goods.