Apple drops Mac mini prices internationally

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Apple on Tuesday reduced the price of its Mac mini line of desktops in markets not priced in U.S. dollars, providing a discount to international shoppers on both the standard Mac mini, as well as the server option.



The price changes, first discovered by Macerkopf.de (via Google Translate), were reportedly confirmed by Apple to impact all international sales of the device. For example, the entry-level machine was dropped by 100 euros to 709 euros, while the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server is now 999 euros, reduced from 1149 euros.



In the U.S., the prices direct from Apple are unchanged: the entry-level Mac mini still costs $699, while the server edition runs $999. Both models ship within 24 hours.



In June, Apple released a new, unibody Mac mini that added HDMI output and support for Secure Digital Extended Capacity flash memory cards. The tiny hardware, just 1.4 inches tall, is Apple's compact desktop Mac.



The machine also has improved energy efficiency, which has led Apple to pitch it as the most affordable Mac in terms of both price and power costs. For $699, customers get a Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics processor, a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 320GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM.



Reduced prices on the Mac mini are also available to readers who use AppleInsider's Mac Pricing Matrix, also included below:







In addition, Apple also slightly reduced prices of the MacBook and MacBook Pro in Germany. The white unibody MacBook is now 999 euros (from 1015 euros), while the 13-inch MacBook Pro is 1149 euros (from 1166 euros).
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 66
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Well that at least puts the machine closer to the US price, still more expensive but not nearly as bad as usual.



    I wonder if the Mac Mini didn't sell well in the UK and elsewhere due to the rip off pricing.



    Hopefully the pricing will spur on good sales and Apple might decide to price their other machines at equivalent dollar pricing rather than profiteering.
  • Reply 2 of 66
    it's just an adjustment for the exchange rates.
  • Reply 3 of 66
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by saarek View Post


    Well that at least puts the machine closer to the US price, still more expensive but not nearly as bad as usual.



    I wonder if the Mac Mini didn't sell well in the UK and elsewhere due to the rip off pricing.



    Hopefully the pricing will spur on good sales and Apple might decide to price their other machines at equivalent dollar pricing rather than profiteering.



    Let's see. Your corporate taxes are higher. In fact, basically all your taxes, doing business and the cost of goods & services are higher in the UK than in the US. And as long as you can, for an example, get a hip replacement for free while your American counterpart is doling out $50,000, it will always be.*



    Your contention that Apple is practicing profiteering is FUD.



    * Let's be clear that the cost of health care is not the only contributor to the issue. There are a lot of other differences that makes the US look a lot greener when looking out their trailer windows or vice versa for those that had to look out the from the towers of London.
  • Reply 4 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple on Tuesday reduced the price of its Mac mini line of desktops in all markets not priced in U.S. dollars, providing a discount to international shoppers on both the standard Mac mini, as well as the server option.



    No change in HK Dollars at the HK store. The writer of the article should get their facts straight.
  • Reply 5 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    No change in HK Dollars at the HK store. The writer of the article should get their facts straight.



    No change here in Singapore as well ...
  • Reply 6 of 66
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Since we know that Apple never makes changes in prices that are temporary, this might be interpreted as a strong signal that Apple expects the US dollar to remain weak for a very long time.



    It also suggests that a larger share of Apple's costs (at least for the Mac Mini) are in the US than in other countries, since a weaker dollar means higher costs in other countries. For a Mac, this seems plausibly true, since a big part of the cost is the Intel processor and the software/design costs.
  • Reply 7 of 66
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1stmac View Post


    No change here in Singapore as well ...



    Well, the writer is mostly correct, since those are countries that peg their currency to the dollar, which means they effectively use the US dollar (unless I'm wrong about the peg, in which case, nevermind).
  • Reply 8 of 66
    cam'roncam'ron Posts: 503member
    No change here in Canada. Should we really pay $50 more? Our dollars are pretty much at par.
  • Reply 9 of 66
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Too bad Apple didn't stick with the mini's original pricing of $499. Most of the other Mac lines have either maintained or dropped their prices over the years. But each major revision of the mini (PPC -> Intel & unibody) have added $100 to the base price of the mini. A 40% price increase isn't progress.
  • Reply 10 of 66
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    Too bad Apple didn't stick with the mini's original pricing of $499. Most of the other Mac lines have either maintained or dropped their prices over the years. But each major revision of the mini (PPC -> Intel & unibody) have added $100 to the base price of the mini. A 40% price increase isn't progress.



    I think I'd rather see Apple hold the Mini price at its current point, but add approximately 40 GB of SSD to the motherboard for OS and apps. That would make the Mini feel like a very fast machine.



    heck, they should do that across the Mac lineup. They could put the OS and the applications folder on the SSD, and default to having all other user files (pictures, movies, music, documents, downloads, etc) on a traditional mechanical drive.
  • Reply 11 of 66
    denmarudenmaru Posts: 208member
    Still far too expensive. 699$ do NOT equal 699€. No amount of shipping, taxes etc. can make this conversion this "convenient" for Apple. As of now, 699$ equals 499€ (rounded UP). So every European citizen pays about 200$ because Americans couldn't get their economy straight. Congratulations.
  • Reply 12 of 66
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wiggin View Post


    Too bad Apple didn't stick with the mini's original pricing of $499. Most of the other Mac lines have either maintained or dropped their prices over the years. But each major revision of the mini (PPC -> Intel & unibody) have added $100 to the base price of the mini. A 40% price increase isn't progress.





    So, if the major revisions aren't worth the additional cost, buy the original?



    But before you make that decision, perhaps you should do some spec'ing. There was a lot more than just changing the processor and case.
  • Reply 13 of 66
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Denmaru View Post


    Still far too expensive. 699$ do NOT equal 699€. No amount of shipping, taxes etc. can make this conversion this "convenient" for Apple. As of now, 699$ equals 499€ (rounded UP). So every European citizen pays about 200$ because Americans couldn't get their economy straight. Congratulations.



    Besides the cost of living, corporate taxes, cost of doing business, etc, etc., your Austrian list price of 699€ price includes 116.50€ VAT. Or just in case you need math lessons, or can't read your own Apple store, the base price is 582.50€.



    The US store does not include taxes because they vary from one state to another.



    Remember, you decided to form an European Union in part for economic reasons. And your suggestion that European citizen pays more because Americans couldn't get their economy straight is ludicrous. Perhaps you should look in you own backyard like Greece and/or Portugal and Spain for that matter, before you rake others.
  • Reply 14 of 66
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    Let's see. Your corporate taxes are higher. In fact, basically all your taxes, doing business and the cost of goods & services are higher in the UK than in the US. And as long as you can, for an example, get a hip replacement for free while your American counterpart is doling out $50,000, it will always be.*



    Your contention that Apple is practicing profiteering is FUD.



    * Let's be clear that the cost of health care is not the only contributor to the issue. There are a lot of other differences that makes the US look a lot greener when looking out their trailer windows or vice versa for those that had to look out the from the towers of London.



    Health care in the UK is not free, I have to pay for it in a special tax called national insurance and so does every other working person, we pay tax and then we also pay national insurance.



    Now back to the Mac, the system is built in China and shipped directly to the country which it's sold so there are no additional shipping costs.



    Now lets allow for fluctuating currencies higher petrol costs etc which probably are a factor.



    For a basis, lets run off the new Apple TV which has a $99 US Price which is of course before any tax.



    Now $99 is £61.80. UK VAT stands at 17.5% so £61.80 + 17.5% = £72.61.



    Now out of fairness Apple probably does have to spend a little bit more to deal in the UK, I'm not an economist but surely it can't be more than 5%? For arguments sake let's go with 10%.



    So £72.61 + 10% = £79.87 that means that even on a generous 10% mark up on the US price Brits have got to pay an additional £20 or $32.03 over an American customer which surely any reasonable person here will agree is wrong, we pay it because we have no choice if you want an Apple product you have to pay their extortionate prices.



    Now perhaps you feel I am being unreasonable, but I don't think I am.



    I call that profiteering, feel free to correct me with hard facts and I will happily bow to superior evidence and logic.



    David
  • Reply 15 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by katastroff View Post


    it's just an adjustment for the exchange rates.



    Not really. It's an adjustment to remain competitive with other, similar products in those markets. That's how non-commodity products are priced, not by calculating exchange rates.
  • Reply 16 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1stmac View Post


    No change here in Singapore as well ...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    No change in HK Dollars at the HK store. The writer of the article should get their facts straight.



    No change in Malaysia.
  • Reply 17 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post


    Well, the writer is mostly correct, since those are countries that peg their currency to the dollar, which means they effectively use the US dollar (unless I'm wrong about the peg, in which case, nevermind).



    Singapore and Malaysia have controlled floats. Meaning it's a peg to a "basket of currencies" of which the US Dollar usually has a strong weighting.



    What happens in Malaysia anyways is that whenever new Apple products are announced the current Malaysian Ringgit to US Dollar rate is used to price the new Apple products. So as the US Dollar depreciated a lot in the past few years prices of Macs and iPods have come down quite a bit.



    Repricing only happens on newly introduced models though. That means prices for previous models are not repriced up or down regardless of exchange rates.



    At least that's how it is in this country with Apple products in the past few years, even for the iPhone RRP price which carriers use to base their contract fees on, etc.
  • Reply 18 of 66
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    Not really. It's an adjustment to remain competitive with other, similar products in those markets. That's how non-commodity products are priced, not by calculating exchange rates.



    Possibly... But what I have seen in the UK, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia is that Apple pricing is most heavily influenced by exchange rates rather than competitors. That is, the most significant price moves seem to be related to how the US dollar is doing relative to those currencies. I could be wrong though.
  • Reply 19 of 66
    Let's do the Math with todays exchange rate

    for Germany:



    699 $ = 499 ?



    499 ? + 19 % Tax = 594 ?

    594 ? + 16 ? "Urheberrechtsabgabe" = 610 ?

    And now add some amount for the EU's / Germany's 24 month "Gewährleistung" ? a kind of mandatory warranty, for you people outside of Germany



    That is only the RAW conversion and only an example.

    You will still have to account for higher living standards, higher costs for

    Apple in Europe, employees costing Apple more in Europe, etc., etc.



    If you have any knowledge of business and finances you will know that this means there's

    virtually no difference.



    I hope we can settle this once and for all.
  • Reply 20 of 66
    wigginwiggin Posts: 2,265member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Denmaru View Post


    Still far too expensive. 699$ do NOT equal 699?. No amount of shipping, taxes etc. can make this conversion this "convenient" for Apple. As of now, 699$ equals 499? (rounded UP). So every European citizen pays about 200$ because Americans couldn't get their economy straight. Congratulations.



    Other than the sales tax vs VAT, which I'm sure will be argued to death, there are all kinds of other costs of doing business. Everything from corporate tax, employee salaries, payroll tax, property tax, import tax, etc, etc. The cost of gas alone to get the products to the stores is far more expensive than in the US. The last time I was in Germany, the price of a liter of gas was about the same as a gallon in the US (that's 1 gallon = 3.8 liters for the metrically challenged). It all adds up. I don't know the impact of all those things; but unless you account for all of those variables, you can't really make a strong point that Apple is profiteering off European sales.



    Is Apple making a little more on sales in Europe? Perhaps. But I hear the same complaints for just about everything, not just Apple products. So either every single overseas company is in on a grand conspiracy to cheat Europeans out of their money, or those extra costs add up to much more than you think they do.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    So, if the major revisions aren't worth the additional cost, buy the original?



    But before you make that decision, perhaps you should do some spec'ing. There was a lot more than just changing the processor and case.



    I purchased both a PPC mini and an Intel mini. Yes, the specs have improved. But so have the specs of Apple's other product lines. Yet the mini is the only one that went up dramatically in price. Was it worth it? Maybe. But I'd strongly argue that while unibody construction for a mobile device is a good thing because they need to take more abuse, unibody construction on a desktop machine is a waste.



    I just don't think the mini has improved 40% above and beyond the general improvement trend of other computers to justify the 40% increase in price.
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