iCloud+ service price increases, users "have to rush to work"
iCloud+ suddenly increases prices, users "have to rush to work"
(Dan Tri) - iCloud+ adjusted its price for the first time in Vietnam after more than 3 years, surprising many users.
Many people accept paying extra because they are afraid of switching
On the evening of July 17, when opening their phones, many iPhone users in Vietnam suddenly received a notice of price adjustment for iCloud+ storage packages.
From a few tens of thousands of dong per month, this fee increases from 20% to nearly 32%, meaning users will have to spend hundreds of thousands of dong more each year to continue storing photos, videos and personal data on Apple's cloud service.
Apple simultaneously increased the prices of all 5 iCloud+ packages in Vietnam, an increase from about 20% to nearly 32% (Photo: MacRumors).
As someone who is using the iCloud+ 2 TB package to share with his whole family of 4 members, Trong Tuan (23 years old, Hanoi) said the increase from 249,000 VND to 299,000 VND per month means he will have to spend about 600,000 VND more per year.
Although the cost increases by about 600,000 VND per year, Mr. Trong Tuan thinks the new price is still acceptable (Photo: NVCC).
According to Tuan, most work and personal life data are currently saved on iCloud, so switching to another platform is not simple.
"Even if iCloud increases to 100,000 or 200,000 VND per month, I will probably still have to use it. But if Apple continues to increase prices in the future, I will consider switching to other storage options such as buying a hard drive or other services," he shared.
Therefore, Tuan said that the current price adjustment is still under control and he will continue to maintain the iCloud package he is using for work.
Meanwhile, Mr. Vinh (31 years old, programmer) admitted that he was not satisfied with Apple's price adjustment, but still had to continue maintaining the service.
"I don't store too much data on iCloud, but because I'm using some other features like my own domain name, I still can't quit it yet," Mr. Vinh said.
According to him, if comparing prices, Google One currently has a more competitive fee than iCloud and is an option worth considering.
In addition to storage capacity on Google Drive and Google Photos, users can also fully experience the Google ecosystem with Gemini, NotebookLM and YouTube.
However, he also expressed concern that Apple's move to increase prices could create a knock-on effect that causes other cloud storage services to begin adjusting.
"Budgets for technology equipment and services have recently tended to increase, so incurring an additional expense makes me have to consider a lot," Mr. Vinh commented.
Although surprised by the price increase of iCloud+, many users said they continue to use it because their data and work are closely tied to the Apple ecosystem (Photo: Doan Thuy).
Most users are not satisfied with the price increase, however, when all photos, videos, documents and work data are synchronized on the Apple ecosystem, switching to another platform is no longer as simple as changing an application.
It is this "switching cost" that makes many people accept to spend more money to continue using iCloud+.
However, they also said they would consider alternative storage solutions such as OneDrive and Google One if Apple continues to increase prices in the future.
Simultaneously increased prices of 5 iCloud+ packages in Vietnam
According to an update on Apple's official support page from July 17, all 5 iCloud+ storage packages in Vietnam have had their prices increased. This is the first time Apple has increased the price of this service in Vietnam since mid-2023, and is part of an adjustment taking place in 8 countries around the world.
Among them, the 50 GB package increased the most, from 19,000 VND to 25,000 VND/month, equivalent to 31.58%.
200 GB package increased from 69,000 VND to 89,000 VND/month, equivalent to 28.99%.
The remaining three large capacity packages all increased by about 20%. Specifically, the 2 TB package increased from 249,000 VND to 299,000 VND/month; 6 TB package increased from 749,000 VND to 899,000 VND/month; and the 12 TB package increased from 1,499,000 VND to 1,799,000 VND/month.
New iCloud+ price list in Vietnam after Apple's adjustment from July 17 (Graphic: Doan Thuy).
Vietnam is one of eight markets where Apple adjusted iCloud+ prices this time, along with Nigeria, Türkiye, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, Philippines and Indonesia.
Apple has not given a specific reason for this adjustment, making many users wonder. The biggest concern is whether this is just a single adjustment or will be the beginning of further price increases in the future.