In recent years, Apple’s app prices in Australia have generally been reasonably close to the US standard from which all other pricing is set. That is set to change a little; in the next day or so, local App Store pricing will increase to accommodate “changes in foreign exchange rates.”
MacRumors has the details — an email sent out to developers says that App Store prices in seven countries and currencies will be altered. One of those countries is Australia, with app prices increasing over the next 24 hours. We’ve confirmed the news with a few local developers, one of which told us that they were notified by Apple more than a month ago.
Apple apparently “regularly” adjusts its pricing schedule in different countries to accommodate different exchange rate varations. Basically, for regular app buyers, the takeaway is this — cost of apps is set to rise slightly, so if there’s an expensive purchase you’ve been putting off, like Photoshop or TomTom or a dictionary, now might be the best time to buy.
It’s an interesting move for Apple to make right now; the exchange rate has had some ups and downs in the last year, but since the end of May 2013 there has been a movement range of around eight cents. The AUD-USD exchange rate is currently sitting at 92.7 cents, around the middle of the range; mid-October saw 97.0 cents, and late January saw 86.8 cents.