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Apple pricing internationally is ludicrous

post #1 of 12
11/18/02 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
with the current USA - UK exchange rates - I could buy the 1ghz powerbook with superdrive for £1904.71 UK Sterling

Whereas in the UK the 1ghz powerbook with superdrive is £2449!!!

That is £545 saving - meaning I could have a weeks holiday in the US for the saving and pick up my laptop at the same time


Apple pricing internationally is ludicrous

Jools
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post #2 of 12
11/18/02 at 6:52pm
Is that including VAT?
£1904.71*1.175
= £2238, a difference of £211. Still less than a return ticket from most UK airports to New York .
Stoo
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Stoo
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post #3 of 12
11/18/02 at 6:58pm
it's apple's secret plan to get people to travel to the U.S.

they secretly own billions of shares in petrol companies, and will soon corner the crude oil market.
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post #4 of 12
11/19/02 at 4:22am
Thread Starter 
[quote]Originally posted by Stoo:
<strong>Is that including VAT?
£1904.71*1.175
= £2238, a difference of £211. Still less than a return ticket from most UK airports to New York .</strong><hr></blockquote>

no that is including VAT
i was right first time
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post #5 of 12
11/19/02 at 5:15am
I feel your pain completely. I have thought the same: it'd be better if I went to NY for a week-end, and I'd still be saving on this here 4000 euro powerbook!

This is something I do NOT understand.

Isn't it enough already that we can't benefit from most of sherlock's features?

Or is Europe supposed to be so stinking rich and expensive??
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post #6 of 12
11/19/02 at 5:16am
In Singapore where I lived, the price reflects the current exchange rate rather well. In fact, for many items, it is slightly cheaper than goods sold in America.

Not much to cheer about though, cos prices of most hardware are still very expensive. In my opinion, only the ibooks are competitively priced.
iSurf, iSaw and iType
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iSurf, iSaw and iType
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post #7 of 12
11/19/02 at 5:55am
[quote]Originally posted by kittylitterdesign:
<strong>

Apple pricing internationally is ludicrous

</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't think it is exclusively Apple's fault. It is just how commerce works in EU and it affects all electronic devices (and not only). Actually, I find ridiculous to charge an average 20% VAT for goods like computers in EU countries, simply because they come from the US. I have no idea however if there exists room for improvements in this domain since some years ago, in some european countries, things were much worse.
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post #8 of 12
11/19/02 at 6:15am
The £1904 price is without VAT (or any other sales tax), because it is from the USA. The UK price includes VAT, making it more expensive. I was pointing out that it wasn't entirely Apple's fault: if the same 17.5% tax was imposed the difference would be considerably less.

The Euro maintains close parity to the US dollar. So how does $3000 become 4000E? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
Stoo
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Stoo
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post #9 of 12
11/19/02 at 6:46am
[quote]Originally posted by PB:
<strong>
VAT for goods like computers in EU countries, simply because they come from the US. I have no idea however if there exists room for improvements in this domain since some years ago, in some european countries, things were much worse.</strong><hr></blockquote>

There aren't, to my knowledge, European VAT rates yet, these are still national responisibilities.

This said, Belgium charges 21% VAT on just about everything. (certainly on all electronical goods, not just those from the US).

What you say there about VAT "because they're from the US" is just plain wrong.

The only restriction on import concerns meat: as some hormones are legal in the US, and all hormones are illegal in Europe, EU forbids the import of US meat (to which the US retorted by raising taxes of 100% on a series of choice European import goods. Courtesy of Mr. Bush).
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post #10 of 12
11/19/02 at 7:13am
[quote]Originally posted by der Kopf:
<strong>

What you say there about VAT "because they're from the US" is just plain wrong.

</strong><hr></blockquote>

What is wrong here? By mentioning the US I don't mean that VAT is applied only to US products, simply that's actually the context of the discussion.
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post #11 of 12
11/19/02 at 7:19am
And now Apple has decided to hose Canadian AppleCare buyers too. For a while they held the prices at par with American Applecare. A good move because it basically costs them nothing, and most people with AppleCare never need it, but now the prices are insane. Scratch off a few more edu sales, there's just no way people will pay that much extra for what should be Standard coverage. Yes "standard' canadian coverage is only 1 year, but 3 year extensions don't cost anywhere near 500 Canadian. Ridiculous, a comnpany doing everything they can to avoid success.
IBL!
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IBL!
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post #12 of 12
11/19/02 at 9:01am
Since this isn't really a discussion about current hardware, so much as it's kind of a general discussion about Apple's pricing... hey, let's move it to General Discussion!

I know it's crazy, but let's try it folks.

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