They’re some of the most popular smartphones around the world, but if you use an iPhone, you might want to check your iCloud storage plan now.
Apple has quietly increased the prices of popular plans in many markets – including the UK.
While the tech giant offers users 5GB of storage, this doesn’t go a long way, and so many users opt to pay for Apple’s premium cloud subscription, iCloud+.
Some iCloud+ plans have skyrocketed in price by as much as 29 per cent – and users are not happy about it.
So, is your plan increasing? MailOnline reveals which markets are affected.
Apple has quietly increased the prices of popular iCloud+ plans in many markets – including the UK
iCloud is a service designed to help iPhone users keep their most important information – like photos, files and backups – secure, up to date and available across all their devices.
‘When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage,’ Apple explained.
‘If you need more iCloud storage or want access to premium features, you can upgrade to iCloud+.’
Apple offers three iCloud+ upgrade options – 50GB, 200GB or 2TB of storage.
In the UK, these were previously priced at £0.79/month, £2.49/month and £6.99/month respectively.
However, these prices have increased this week to £0.99/month, £2.99/month and £8.99/month – an average increase of 25 per cent.
Many iPhone users are furious about the price increase, with some taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations
Aside from the UK, iPhone users in eight other countries are affected by the price increases, according to 9To5Mac.
These are Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Many iPhone users are furious about the price increase, with some taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
‘So Apple is raising their monthly iCloud storage subscription price just —-because they can?’ one user wrote.
Another added: ‘Greedy #Apple have just lost my iCloud subscription, always on the take.’
And one vented: ‘Not impressed to read that when storage costs are falling and Apple should be giving us more iCloud space, they’re hiking the price instead. Robbing bandits.’
The news comes as shares of Apple have hit a new all-time high, pushing the company’s market valuation closer to the $3trillion mark once again.
Apple stock hit a new record high on Wednesday, touching $189.90 in afternoon trading, giving the company a total market valuation of roughly $2.98 billion.
The iPhone maker’s shares would need to close at or above $190.74 to reach a $3 trillion market cap, a measure of valuation that totals the price of all a company’s outstanding shares.
It would not be the first time Apple has hit a $3 trillion valuation, but changes to the size of the company’s stock float mean a higher share price is now required to hit the symbolic benchmark.
THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE
1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.
The first product was the Apple I.
1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market.
Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.
1981: Jobs became chairman.
1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.
1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.
1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.
The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone
2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.
The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.
2007: Apple unveils the iPhone.
2010: The first iPad was unveiled.
2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.
2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus.
2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.
2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.
2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner’s face.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers.
2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.
2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus.
2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced.
2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system.
2023: So far this year Apple has brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands.
