Apple drops Aussie app pricing

Apple has emerged from a nine-hour global iTunes maintenance period to reveal new pricing for Australian apps, which brings Australian prices in line with those in the US.

Apple users shopping on Australia's iPhone and iPad App Stores are set to feel the benefits of a better exchange rate against the greenback as Apple revises almost all of its local app prices down. The real winners are the lower-priced apps between A$0.99 and A$2.99, which are exactly the same price in Australia as they are in the United States. Slightly high-tiered apps in the A$3.99 - A$9.99 price range also saw a price reduction, but there's still a A$0.50 price discrepancy. To see an example of how some games have dropped in price, check out the list below:

Angry Birds old pricing: A$1.19
Angry Birds new pricing: A$0.99

Fruit Ninja old pricing: A$1.19
Fruit Ninja new pricing: A$0.99

Plants vs. Zombies old pricing: A$3.99
Plants vs. Zombies new pricing: A$2.99

Federal Labor MP and longtime Apple pricing advocate Ed Husic today praised the pricing move after railing against the gadget maker in March for charging a premium to Aussie users.

"Good work Apple--they've listened to their loyal customers and begun lowering their prices. Hats off to the company, and congrats to the customers. Now look forward to their formal response to my issues, which I'm told I can expect next week," Husic wrote on his Facebook page.

According to Apple-centric blog site 9to5Mac, App Store prices have also dropped in the UK.

Apple Australia hasn't yet responded to questions from GameSpot AU's sister site ZDNet Australia about the possibility of lower prices for other products, such as laptops, desktops, and the iPad.

To see a full list of how the price differences work out, check out the table below:

Old Australian Price - US Price - New Australian Price
A$1.19 - $0.99 - A$0.99
A$2.49 - $1.99 - A$1.99
A$3.99 - $2.99 - A$2.99
A$4.99 - $3.99 - A$4.49
A$5.99 - $4.99 - A$5.49
A$7.99 - $5.99 - A$6.49
A$8.99 - $6.99 - A$7.49
A$9.99 - $7.99 - A$8.49
A$11.99 - $8.99 - A$9.49
A$12.99 - $9.99 - A$10.49