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Microsoft has announced an increase in pricing for its Surface and Surface Book computers in the UK by more than £400 for some models as a result of post-Brexit sterling valuation drops.
This is not an unprecedented move as the likes of Sonos, Apple and HP have all raised prices of computers, speakers and apps by as miuch as 25 per cent. Apple in particular made somewhat controversial moves by upping the price of the over three year old Mac Pro by £500, from £2,499 to £2,999. Microsoft itself made a similar move last October when it increased the cost of its enterprise software and cloud services.
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. For indirect sales where our products and services are sold through partners, final prices will continue to be determined by them.”
On Microsoft’s online store, the Surface Book now starts life at £1,449 – up £150 (11.5 per cent) from £1,299 a week ago. The the top-specced Surface Book now is £400 more. The Surface Pro 4 surprisingly remains unchanged at £749, but some models in the range are up to £160 more expensive. It is expected that Microsoft will release a new version of the Surface Pro in the near future, and there will be a great deal of interest on the company’s pricing strategy.
The company made no secret of its desire for Britain to stay in the EU, and the company employs over 5,000 people in the country while working in partnership with over 25,000 UK businesses.
This follows news from earlier this week that speaker maker Sonos increased prices by up to 25 per cent as a result of currency valuation changes. “We pay for everything we make in US dollars,” Sonos said in a statement. “Over recent months, there has been a significant change on the US dollar to GBP exchange rate. As a result, our existing pricing has become unsustainable and, like many other companies, we have to increase prices for all products priced in GBP.”
What remains now is not if any more companies will also make this move, but which will be next.
