Apple, one of the world's most valuable companies, has quietly raised the cost of its iCloud+ cloud storage service across ten countries — including the United Kingdom, where prices climbed by roughly 28 percent — without introducing any new features or improvements to justify the increase. The move, which doubled prices in Turkey and touched markets from Sweden to South Africa, arrived not as an announcement but as a discovery: users simply found higher charges waiting for them. It is a moment that speaks to something larger than a billing adjustment — the growing tension between the subscrip
Apple quietly hikes iCloud prices by up to 28% across UK and nine countries
Storage costs have fallen for 15 years. Nothing else has changed.
Mark
Why did Apple wait until now to raise these prices? The company has known for years that storage costs have fallen.
Mimi
That's the question everyone's asking. There's no obvious trigger—no new feature, no infrastructure upgrade. It feels more like Apple simply decided the market would bear higher prices, and they were right about that. People need the storage, so they'll pay.
Mark
But the backlash suggests they miscalculated the tolerance for it.
Mimi
Maybe. Or maybe Apple doesn't see it as a miscalculation at all. The anger is real, but most people will keep paying. That's the trap of a service you've already built your life around.
Mark
Turkey saw prices double. That's extreme. Was there a reason specific to that market?
Mimi
The source doesn't explain the variation. It could be currency fluctuation, local market conditions, or simply different pricing strategies by region. But it does suggest this wasn't a uniform adjustment—Apple was making different bets in different places.
Mark
What does this say about Apple's relationship with its customers?
Mimi
It says Apple believes it has enough leverage that it can raise prices without losing people. And it probably does. But it also says the company isn't particularly concerned with how that feels to the people on the other end of the transaction.
El Pulso
- Apple raised iCloud+ prices by up to 28% in the UK and 100% in Turkey, affecting ten countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa — with no new features to show for it.
- Users discovered the increases not through any official announcement, but through billing notifications and account checks, amplifying the sense of being blindsided.
- Social media backlash was swift, with customers comparing the largest iCloud plan's new cost to a Netflix subscription and accusing Apple of straightforward profiteering.
- The frustration cuts deeper than the numbers: data storage costs have fallen dramatically since iCloud launched in 2006, making the price hike feel especially difficult to defend.
- For many users, the episode has sharpened a broader question — whether the value of yet another monthly subscription still justifies its place in an already crowded household budget.
Apple, one of the world's most valuable companies, has quietly raised the cost of its iCloud+ cloud storage service across ten countries — including the United Kingdom, where prices climbed by roughly 28 percent — without introducing any new features or improvements to justify the increase. The move, which doubled prices in Turkey and touched markets from Sweden to South Africa, arrived not as an announcement but as a discovery: users simply found higher charges waiting for them. It is a moment that speaks to something larger than a billing adjustment — the growing tension between the subscription economy's quiet accumulation of costs and the human expectation that value must accompany price.
Apple made a quiet but consequential move this week, raising prices on its iCloud+ cloud storage subscriptions across the United Kingdom and nine other countries — with no new features or service improvements offered in return. In Britain, the increases were substantial: the 50GB plan rose from 79p to 99p, the 200GB tier from £2.49 to £2.99, and the flagship 2TB plan from £6.99 to £8.99, amounting to roughly a 28 percent jump across the board. Turkey bore the sharpest blow, with prices doubling entirely. Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, and the UAE were also affected, suggesting a coordinated global adjustment rather than isolated regional decisions.
What stung users most was the context. iCloud has existed since 2006, and in nearly two decades the underlying cost of data storage has fallen dramatically — yet the service itself has not materially changed. Apple still offers just five gigabytes free, a figure that barely accommodates a modern smartphone's photo library, leaving millions with little practical choice but to pay for more storage. Now they would pay considerably more, with no explanation offered.
The backlash arrived quickly on social media, where users compared the new 2TB price to a Netflix subscription and accused Apple of profiteering. The anger was not simply about the sums involved — it was about the silence surrounding them. Apple did not announce the changes; customers simply discovered them. The episode has crystallised a growing weariness with the subscription economy itself: the sense that monthly charges, each individually small, are quietly accumulating into something that no longer feels like a fair exchange.
Apple made a quiet move this week that sent ripples through its user base: the company raised prices on iCloud+ subscriptions across the United Kingdom and nine other countries, with increases that left many customers feeling blindsided and angry.
The jumps were substantial. In Britain, the 50-gigabyte plan climbed from 79 pence to 99 pence. The 200-gigabyte tier went from £2.49 to £2.99. The largest plan, at two terabytes, jumped from £6.99 to £8.99. Taken together, these represent increases of roughly 28 percent—a significant bump for a service that has seen no meaningful upgrades to justify the cost.
The affected countries stretched across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates all saw their pricing adjusted upward. Turkey experienced the steepest hit, with prices doubling entirely. The pattern suggested a coordinated global adjustment rather than isolated regional decisions.
What made the move particularly galling to users was the context. iCloud, Apple's cloud storage service for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners, has been around since 2006. In nearly two decades, the underlying cost of data storage has plummeted. The service itself—the features, the functionality, the experience—had not materially changed. Apple still offered five gigabytes free to all users, a pittance for anyone with a modern smartphone that takes high-resolution photos and videos. Those who needed more space had little choice but to pay for iCloud+. Now they would pay considerably more.
The backlash arrived swiftly on social media. One user compared the new pricing to Netflix, noting that the largest iCloud plan now cost nearly as much as a monthly streaming subscription. Others used sharper language, accusing Apple of greed and profiteering. The frustration was not merely about the numbers; it was about the absence of any justification. No new features. No improved service. Just higher bills.
Some customers seemed to be grappling with a broader question: what was the point of maintaining yet another subscription when the value proposition had not improved? The sentiment reflected a growing fatigue with the subscription economy itself—the endless accumulation of monthly charges, each one individually modest but collectively burdensome.
Apple's move was characteristic of how the company operates: methodical, global, and presented as a fait accompli rather than something open to discussion. The company did not announce the changes with fanfare or explanation. Users simply discovered new prices when they checked their accounts or received billing notifications. Whether the company anticipated the reaction or simply accepted it as an inevitable cost of doing business remained unclear. What was clear was that for many users, the calculus had shifted. The service that was once among the cheapest cloud storage options on the market no longer felt like a bargain.
Citas Notables
This is pure profiteering and cannot be justified in any way, especially with storage costs coming down in price.— Customer on social media
My iCloud is gonna cost me £8.99 starting end of next month! That's basically Netflix prices.— Customer on Twitter
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The Irish Sun ↗
Technology