After phones, Apple hikes service charges in Turkey
A customer buys the new iPhone 7 smartphone inside an Apple Inc. store in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Sept. 16, 2016. (Reuters Photo)


Apple increased its service fees in Turkey only a short time after hiking the prices of its products, a move that has upset its customers.

With the increase, the price for changing a battery of the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max / X, XS, XS Max and XR models increased to TL 489 from TL 449 ($71 from $65). For the iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8 and 8 Plus, a battery change now costs TL 349.

Changing the screen of the iPhone 11 Pro Max and XS Max models now costs TL 2,369 instead of TL 2,190, while it increased to TL 1,219 from TL 1,139 for iPhone 8 Plus users.

The increase also affected out-of-warranty change costs. While the operation was TL 5,799 for the iPhone 11 Pro Max and XS Max users before the rises in price, now they must pay TL 6,319. For iPhone 11 Pro, XS and X users, the price stands at TL 5,799, a TL 500 increase.

Apple Turkey implemented a series of price increases for products sold through its Apple Store as of July 1, with the hikes affecting almost all merchandise, with some prices growing by as much as 30%. The new price hikes come amid increasing exchange rates.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple's most expensive phone, now sells for TL 16,349 as of July 1. Its previous cost was TL 14,999.

The prices of Apple products remain very high, considering that the minimum wage in Turkey stands at TL 2,324 a month. The wage was increased by 15% from TL 2,020 in January.

On the other hand, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the country stood at TL 51,834 (around $7,560) in 2019, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data.

iPad models were also hit by the price jumps. The starting price of the new 11-inch iPad Pro released three months ago increased from TL 6,399 to TL 6,699.