Microsoft hikes prices by up to 15% after Brexit vote
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It is the latest price increase to hit headlines this week after audio firm Sonos revealed that it was raising prices in the UK by up to 25 per cent.
A Microsoft spokesperson said: “In response to a recent review we are adjusting the British pound prices of some of our hardware and consumer software in order to align to market dynamics.”
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The tech giant’s Surface Book will now cost consumers £1,449 – up £150 or 11.5 per cent. A top-of-the-range Surface Book will now cost £400 more.
It said the final prices of products sold through third parties would be determined by those outlets.
The price changes come just months after Microsoft announced it would raise the cost of software services in the UK by as much as 22 per cent as a result of currency fluctuations.
A number of companies have introduced price hikes in a bid to compensate for the drop in the pound, which is trading 16 per cent lower against the US dollar and down more than 10 per cent versus the euro since the Brexit vote. A weaker pound means import costs for many businesses have soared, which will be passed on to consumers.
Audio firm Sonos jacked up prices in the UK by up to 25 per cent, bumping the Sonos Play:1 speaker from £169 to £199, the Play:3 from £259 to £299 and the Play:5 from £429 to £499.
Meanwhile, Apple confirmed it earlier this year that it would be raising the download prices in its App Store in the UK by 25 per cent.
But it is not just tech consumers that are feeling the bite. Vauxhall owner General Motors said in October that it had to raise UK car prices by 2.5 per cent after the EU referendum result caused the industry to hit a “speed bump”.