UK MacBook Pricing

g_warreng_warren
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
So it seems Apple have just screwed over UK users.



Yesterday I could have bought a MacBook with 160Gb drive and 2GB RAM for £829. Now it is £949 for the same RAM and hard disk just because it is aluminium? Forget it.



The based model which was £699 (and supposed to be dropped by $100) has gone UP in price to £719. The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have also gone up by £100. At these prices, Apple is going to sell bugger all in the UK.



I had the credit card standing by for a new laptop, but forget it Apple.



Any other price weirdness noticed anywhere?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    mimacmimac Posts: 872member
    And why does this surprise you?
  • Reply 2 of 7
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,438moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MiMac View Post


    And why does this surprise you?



    I know that Apple usually don't give the UK good deals but the US model has dropped by $100 and the UK model has gone up by £20. This makes no sense whatsoever.



    Also the £949 price is appalling. The price increase in the US is $200 ($1099 -> £1299), this is not the same as £250 in the UK (£699 -> £949). The metal Macbook should be £799.



    It's almost like Apple want to help America's financial situation by taxing everybody else in the world.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    You should watch the keynote.



    Pay particular attention to the point where SJ is about to announce the pricing structure of the MacBook. He almost walks right into it.



    He's about to announce the price, and then he fumbles and says "before that actually", and there's a comedy George W. Bush pause where SJ tries to remember how he 'spun it' during rehearsals so that it didn't appear as though the MacBook just suffered a price hike.



    He then goes on to detail how the new MacBook features the new metal enclosure, the faster graphics and the LED backlit display. He then goes on to say "that to get in to these features yesterday cost $1999. You had to step up to a MacBook Pro to get those features. Starting today you can get these features for just $1299. That's $700 more affordable."



    That's VERY clever salesmanship. The mask kind of slipped for a second there, and the slight of hand was exposed. I wouldn't be surprised if every journalist in the room picked up on that. It's NOT $700 more affordable at all, because the MacBook Pro at $1999 offers a hell of a lot more than the new MacBook. That's a very misleading claim.



    What he really should be saying is that the MacBook has jumped up in price because we've added a bunch of new shit to it, that you guys asked for. That's fair enough, most people would accept that. After all, if you don't want those three new features you can still get the original white MacBook.



    But he can't resist trying to sell it to us like we're complete fucking idiots, who don't realise that he's pulling the wool over our eyes...
  • Reply 4 of 7
    g_warreng_warren Posts: 713member
    Having thought about, I think my key gripe is that yesterday a $1299 MacBook cost £829 in the UK. Today, a $1299 MacBook costs £949 in the UK. I was all set to purchase a system for £829 when the updates came around, but I'll definitely be keeping my cash in the bank until Apple realises that no Brit is going to shell out that sort of money for a laptop with these specs. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the UK prices are dropped at Rev. B time.



    Sure Apple dropped prices a little when the dollar was through the floor a year ago, but now that it has recovered slightly, the prices bounce back up by a whopping £120. Ye, nice one apple.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    gee4orcegee4orce Posts: 165member
    You are aware that currencies fluctuate ? And that the pound has been tanking recently ?



    Just checking....
  • Reply 6 of 7
    g_warreng_warren Posts: 713member
    No need for the



    Whilst I am aware that the pound has dropped in value recently, it hasn't dropped by the level Apple are suggesting, and there is clear profiteering here. Or not as the case may be, since I haven't heard anyone in the UK say they are rushing out to buy a new MacBook.



    If we say that current exchange rate is around £1 = $1.7 (I'm being generous - it is currently around $1.75), the $1299 MacBook would be £764 plus VAT, ie £897.70. That's a decent chunk lower than the £949 Apple are asking us to shell out.



    I also don't remember Apple dropping prices so vastly when the dollar was through the floor. Yes there were minor drops, but not these sums.
  • Reply 7 of 7
    rogue68rogue68 Posts: 98member
    On exchange rates, the dollar has fallen exponentially against the pound. If anything the comparative price should have gone down, not up.



    Having said that, personally, if I didn't know about the US price drops, the UK price rises wouldn't have bothered me. Screen and FW aside, I think these new MBs are a big improvement over their predecessors. Those graphics chips are fantastic; the upper range MB is of MBP functionality, the machines are more energy-efficient and recyclable than previous Mac laptops.



    It's the combination of a problematic screen, lack of firewire and price that's currently holding my money in my pocket.



    I think Steve has underestimated his market. Being an entrepreneur is all about shafting the workers and/or the consumers but the trick is to make them feel like they're being gifted. In this instance we're being openly shafted and a lot of us don't like it.



    All we can do is shaft right back and hope someone with more business sense than ego gets the message back at Apple.
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