Canadian $ @ par

climber

With our $ at par one day and very close most others I was wondering what excuses Apple can have in continuing to charge us 300 $ more for say a 30 inch Cinema display. I am talking for online purchases where the product is still being shipped from the same place that it would be for a US resident.





Scott

electric monk

Quote:

Originally Posted by climber


With our $ at par one day and very close most others I was wondering what excuses Apple can have in continuing to charge us 300 $ more for say a 30 inch Cinema display. I am talking for online purchases where the product is still being shipped from the same place that it would be for a US resident.





Scott

Corporations do not generally respond in a timely fashion to major currency changes. Apple usually only updates to deal with currency changes when they actually update their next model of whatever. So the next 30" Cinema Display would likely be within ~10% of the actual price.



I'll also note that since inception iTunes in Canada has been 99 cents, which (at the time) was something like a ~20% discount.



And if you really want to feel bad at Apple go look at the prices in Europe (even after you account for VAT [aka invisible GST]) they're still pretty bad.



The main problem for Canada is that we're in a very good governmental position (no deficit, paying down debt) combined with a resource economy in Alberta (oil) working against a very weak US dollar.





Aside:

Actually this is, in the long run, a good thing for Canada. Because of Trudeau the Canadian economy was noticeably weakened and the federal government was placed in a very negative position (Trudeau racked up 300 billion in debt, and Mulroney added another 200 billion because of interest charges on that debt). The low dollar provided an artificial export boost for Canadian corporations which resulted in them failing to invest in technology and work towards higher productivity. With the dollar at par this artificial boost is gone and Canadian corporations now have proper incentive to become globally competitive.

climber

Thank you Electric Monk



on that note..what is the expected release of new displays..I wonder if its cheaper to buy from someone like B&H and have them ship it or would all the savings be eaten up with duties and shipping..hmmm



S

electric monk

It's probably cheaper (and arguably better) to buy non-Apple displays. Sure they look pretty but in cost/basic stats other displays on the market are quite a bit better.



Honestly displays are one of the few Apple products that just don't measure up (except, natch, in industrial design).

climber

I am a professional photographer and I mix my images with CGI. I am looking for a big screen, excellent color and contrast with good OSD tools ...any suggestions? For the big screens 22 inch LCD and up apples 30 inch was the cheapest. I am using Lacies 25" Ezio and NEC as examples

electric monk

Well an actual CRT screen still beats LCDs but you're right, I forget that at 30" Apple's display is actually a good value (it's the smaller ones that are weak).



So yeah, if you're laying for a 30" LCD Apple's is just fine. I still think a CRT would be better for photography, though, given it's closer colour fidelity, but they certainly don't come in 30" models .

climber

You are correct for the most part. The high end LCDs produce very good color though( from what I have been told) but require an extra calibrator cup in order to tweak that color out..subtle contrast loss aside. I have 2 CRT's at the moment but they suck a lot of juice and produce plenty of heat..just trying to go greener If I could get rid of 2 CRTs and get one one larger LCD...

ajmas

I certainly look forward to Apple adjusting their Canadian prices. The $299 USD iPod Touch is currently being sold at $399 CAD in the Canadian Apple store. http://www.xe.com/ indicates that we should be paying around 300 CAD + Tax.