Microsoft raises prices up to 15% after collapse in pound

Tech giant puts up cost of laptops and tablets after sterling’s fall

Microsoft has raised prices onaraftofproducts including laptops and tablets by asmuchas 15% in direct response to the collapse in the pound following the Brexit vote.

It is the latest price increase to hit headlines this week after audio firm Sonos revealed that it was raising prices in the UK by up to 25%

A Microsoft spokesman said: “In response to a recent review we are adjusting the British pound prices of some of our hardware and consumer software in order to align to market dynamics.”

The tech giant’s Surface Book will now cost consumers £1,449, up £150 or 11.5%. A top-of-the-range Surface Book will now cost £400 more.

The company said the final prices of products sold through third parties would be determined by those outlets.

Those price changes came into e ff e c t on Wednesday and at a difficult time for consumers.

It comes just months after Microsoft announced it would raise the cost of software services in the UK by as much as 22% as a result of currency fluctuations.

A number of companies haveintroducedprice hikes in a bid to compensate for the drop in the pound, which is trading 16% lower against the US dollar and over 10% versus the euro since the Brexit vote.

A weaker pound means import costs formany businesses have soared, which will be passed on to consumers.

Meanwhile, Apple confirmed earlier this year that it would be raising the download prices in its App Store in the UK by 25%.

It is not just tech consumers who are feeling the bite. Vauxhall cars owner General Motors (GM) said in October that it had to raise UK car prices by 2.5% after the EU referendum result.

PRICE HIKE: Microsoft’s Surface Book laptop will now cost £1,449, up £150 or 11.5% and a top-of-the-range model will cost £400 more