Is Apple charging more for the iPhone 12 (and its headphones) in France? | iGeneration

In France, Apple delivers the iPhone 12, and all the other iPhones in the catalog for that matter, with a pair of EarPods. As we saw the day before yesterday, the manufacturer has found an ingenious way (but not necessarily very green) to provide the smartphone and the headphones together (read: Apple's solution for delivering headphones with the iPhone 12 in France).

The presence of EarPods with the iPhone is a unique fact in the world by virtue of the legislation which imposes the provision of an accessory making it possible to limit the exposure of the head to radio-electric emissions (article L34–9 of the Code of posts and electronic communications). Does this mean that Apple has increased the price of its smartphones in France? The answer is rather no, if we compare ourselves to other European countries.

But then, how to explain that the iPhone 12 costs €1,120 in Germany and €1,159 in France? This difference of €39 is more than enough to offset the cost of the EarPods, the pair of which is billed at €19 by the Apple Store… For the consumer, the iPhone 12 actually costs more on this side of the Rhine. But the same smartphone costs €1,159 in Spain, the same price as in France, and yet consumers are deprived of EarPods.

The prices of the iPhone, and of any other product for that matter, are displayed inclusive of all taxes in France and Europe. VAT, private copying tax and other tax relief are integrated into the public label: the advertised price is what the consumer pays, unlike in the United States, where prices are exclusive of tax. There, at checkout, the price the consumer will pay will be higher, including federal and local taxes.

Of course, the level of VAT differs from one country to another (20% in France, 16% in Germany, for example). As for the different taxes, we know the taste and the crazy imagination of the legislator to scrape a few extra pennies... This is why honesty recommends making tax-free comparisons. It's not very complicated: Apple displays them at the time of the order.

What do we observe? Quite simply that the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are in fact… a little cheaper in France than in Germany or Spain once the taxes are removed. The situation is reversed with the United Kingdom and especially with the United States, where prices excluding tax are lower. Across the Atlantic, the difference is striking: €72 for the iPhone 12, €110 (!) for the iPhone 12 Pro.

Knowing that American iPhones are more complete than elsewhere in the world (they support millimetric 5G), there is reason to wonder about the level of the "tax €" that Apple imposes on its customers in the old continent. This has always more or less existed, it reflects the costs of hedging the exchange risk and those of translation, among other things.

That being said, when it comes time to pay for the gadget, the French consumer will actually pay more for their iPhone 12 than in Germany, the United Kingdom or the United States. But when we compare ourselves, we console ourselves: the situation is worse in Spain…