Apple to cut UK iTunes downloads price

[Gromit]

Apple have thankfully announced that their practice of charging its UK customers higher prices for downloads is to cease.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7178651.st m

Are they bowing to consumer pressure or made the cut before the Office of Fair Trading ordered them to do so?

[adamhornsby]

Oh and about bloooody time. And what are they reducing the price to?

[Oneeyedvic]

74p from 79p

[jake-the-peg]

Don't say the EU never does anything for you

[adamhornsby]

74p? not much of a cut is it?

[jake-the-peg]

No but it's the principal - it was cheaper elsewhere in Europe.

Apple doubtlessly saw Microsoft take on the EU and lose and decided to "come quietly" without loss of face.

Office of fair trading - don't make me laugh

[Twenty20]

I've always considered 79 pence pretty cheap for a music track anyway.

Isn't everything different prices in different countries?

[jake-the-peg]

Yes but when you're serving software from a central server setting the price depending on what country the person is in is a bit cheeky.

Imagine if they did it based on your post code.

"I see that you live in an affluent area - that's �2.30"
"Your from a poorer suburb it's 50p for you"

There'd be an outcry

[adamhornsby]

Urmm i think i'll be creating uproar here because, the Americans pay our equivalent of 50p per track...

[Gromit]

Twenty20

&9/74p is reasonable for a music track. The EU is supposed to be one trading nation, so charging UK customers a higher than everyone else was clearly wrong. The EU have investigated and could have embarrassingly force Apple to lower the price and even repay 5p to every UK customer who has been overcharged.

By voluntarily lowering the price, Apple have minimized the bad press involved.