Apple raised the prices of iPhones and iPads in Germany in response to a new tax aimed at benefiting content producers.
The company bumped the price of its iPhones by roughly $5.50 and increased the iPad price by $7.60 following an agreement between tech companies and the German government to pay a tax for every smartphone or tablet imported into Germany. The funds will be distributed among content producers (including a group representing "creators, producers and acting artists of erotic and pornographic films").
The move was initially reported by MacRumors; Apple confirmed the hike to the Associated Press. All forms of content are covered under terms of the arrangement.
The recent tax is similar to other established agreements for consumer electronics such as blank CDs, according to the AP. Such arrangements are based on a 50-year-old German law that allows consumers to make private copies of content in exchange for paying a surcharge on device purchases.
Apple has paid a similar tax of roughly $11.35 on Macs in Germany since 2010, MacRumors reported. Other European nations have similar taxes in place.
For more:
- see this MacRumors report
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