With the launch of iOS 9, Apple has bumped up the storage offered to paying iCloud subscribers, apart from slashing the subscription fee for higher storage tiers. The free tier remains the same - 5GB for no charge.
Previously Apple offered 20GB per month of iCloud storage at Rs. 60 ($0.99 in the US), 100GB at Rs. 250 ($3.99 in the US), and 1TB at Rs. 1,200 ($19.99 in the US). With the launch of iOS 9, the tiers have been revised to 50GB per month at Rs. 65 ($0.99 in the US), 200GB at Rs. 190 ($2.99 in the US), and 1TB at Rs. 650 ($9.99 in the US).
Eagle eyed readers would have noticed the change in base pricing from Rs. 60 to Rs. 65. This appears to be Apple's response to the rupee's slide against the dollar. At the time of filing this report, US $1 was equivalent to a little over Rs. 66.
This leads us to believe that revised App Store pricing is on the way for the Indian App Store and soon all $0.99 apps could be priced at Rs. 65, instead of Rs. 60. Pricing of apps and in-app purchases on the App Store could rise across the board if the base is raised - as is evident in the Rs. 650 pricing for a month of 1TB iCloud storage. Like we mentioned earlier, that tier costs $9.99 on the US App Store.
Existing paying iCloud subscribers will automatically get upgraded to new storage/ pricing tiers, since iCloud paying subscribers are billed monthly. This change in pricing brings Apple's iCloud pricing closer to its competitors. Dropbox offers 2GB storage for free, while charging $9.99 (roughly Rs. 660) per month for 1TB. Google Drive lets you use 15GB for free, while charging $1.99 (roughly Rs. 130) per month for 100GB, and $9.99 (roughly Rs. 660) per month for 1TB.
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