Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta 
Once again, these international comparisons are meaningless.
First, the US number does not include sales tax. The Netherlands and Ukraine numbers include VAT. That alone makes up more than half of the pre-tax difference.
There are also different costs in operating in different countries. Minimum wage for retail employees is higher in most of the world. Employees get more vacation time. Apple must offer longer warranties in much of Europe. There are also other costs of doing business in European and former Soviet countries.
In the end, if you want a $150 phone, it's not going to be an iPhone, at least not anything of recent vintage.
Once again, these international comparisons are meaningless.
First, the US number does not include sales tax. The Netherlands and Ukraine numbers include VAT. That alone makes up more than half of the pre-tax difference.
There are also different costs in operating in different countries. Minimum wage for retail employees is higher in most of the world. Employees get more vacation time. Apple must offer longer warranties in much of Europe. There are also other costs of doing business in European and former Soviet countries.
In the end, if you want a $150 phone, it's not going to be an iPhone, at least not anything of recent vintage.
Apple does not offer longer warranties in Europe.
And I would be extremely surprised if Apple employee wages in Eastern Europe would be higher than in US.
