The yen has rapidly appreciated into the ¥152 range against the dollar. Ahead of Apple's new product launch event in the early hours of 10 September, attention is focused on domestic prices in Japan.
The yen rose against the dollar in the Tokyo foreign exchange market on 8 September, briefly reaching the upper ¥152 range per dollar. This was the yen's strongest level in approximately six months, drawing attention to the outlook for Apple product prices.
Apple is expected to hold its fall product launch event from 2 a.m. Japan time on 10 September, where it is expected to announce a new lineup of its flagship smartphone, the iPhone. A new foldable model is reportedly set to join the lineup, generating particularly strong interest.
In the price revision carried out in July, prices on Apple's domestic direct-sales website rose against a backdrop of yen depreciation. Prices were raised for both top-end and standard models, and expectations for lower prices are growing among users as the yen appreciates.
Domestic prices for new iPhone models tend to be set to reflect exchange-rate movements, but with the announcement approaching, it remains unclear how much of the yen's sharp appreciation this time will be reflected in prices.