Apple raises iPad and iPod prices in Japan, blames weak yen

Apple Online Store iPad pricing from April 29 (top) and May 31. | Source: Internet Archive and Apple

First reported by Japanese public broadcaster NHK (via Bloomberg), the affected products appear to be limited to Apple's music players and tablets, each of which saw substantial price hikes as the yen continued its slide against the dollar.

“We made some pricing adjustments due to changes in foreign exchange rates,” Apple spokesman Takashi Takabayashi told Bloomberg.

A look at a cached version of the Japanese Apple Online Store from April shows pricing for a 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi at 42,800 yen (about $424 at Thursday's rate of 100.92 yen to the dollar), which is 7,000 yen less than today's price of 49,800 yen. In dollars, the change equates to a roughly $70 difference. The iPad mini saw a similar price hike, with a 16GB Wi-Fi version boosted from 28,800 yen to 32,800 yen.

As for the iPod lineup, a 32GB touch moved from 24,800 yen to 29,800 yen, while an additional 2,000 yen and 600 yen were tacked onto the nano and shuffle, respectively. Finally, the iPod classic's price went from 20,900 yen in April to today's price of 24,800 yen.

The weakened yen comes as a result of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to halt the currency's deflation. Earlier in May, the yen fell past 101 yen to the US dollar, its lowest point since 2009.