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McEvoy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 30, 2013
2
0
My little sister is going on a school vacation to New York in October/November 2013. I've been looking to buy an iPad/iPad Mini for a couple of months now and have enough money to get one but there's been a few things which have been stopping me.

First of all, I wanted to wait until they released an new/updated version of the iPad/iPad Mini which I'm guessing would be around the time she'll be in New York.

Another factor is obviously the price difference. So if she was able to purchase one in New York, (for example, the 64GB WI-FI + Cellular iPad Mini) it would cost me $659 or roughly £433. That would mean I'd be saving about £100 instead of buying one in the UK (which is where I live) which would cost £529 for the same model.

So here are some of the issues.

If I purchased the cellular version, would that affect me trying to get a data plan back here in the UK? Or would it not matter?

Another issue is that would she be taxed or something like that when re-entering the UK? Are there any ways around this if so? Like unpacking the iPad while in the US and just bringing back the iPad? I don't know if this will matter.

And just a general opinion, is the iPad Mini worth getting instead of the full-sized iPad because I was steering towards the mini personally.

Anyway, I'd just like to see if it would be the smart option doing it this and whether anyone else has come across similar situations and can offer advice.
 

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
Oh yeah, that's a good point. But still, that roughly converts to £471 so that's still £60 cheaper.

1. It's cheaper as long as your little sister isn't caught by customs (items up to £390 are Ok, above that you pay tax on the whole amount. And the limit is UK retail price, not US price. And it's retail price estimated by customs, not UK store retail price).

2. You obviously don't have any statutory rights. When the warranty runs out, you're on your own.

3. 3G connection in USA and UK are different, and I wouldn't even think of giving anyone advice. Nor will an Apple Store in the US.

If you buy an iPad above £390 (UK retail) and your little sister gets caught doing something illegal, that would in my opinion be unforgivable. If you travel yourself, that's your business.
 

tiptopp

macrumors regular
Aug 15, 2008
232
2
Norwich, UK
Do it...

You can check model numbers available here and in the States, so can make sure that it's the same LTE model number. Warranties are no issue now - they're global. She'll pay tax, but it's still cheaper. And yes, to be certain, ditch the box in the States and bring it back in a case to keep it safe. On the basis that it's a school trip, it's highly unlikely that she will be stopped and questioned at UK customs about it - but you have to make sure that she has the cash to pay the tax just in case!

I bought an Apple TV and iPad and had my brother bring them over for me. Saved a lot of cash and the only inconvenience was having to change the plugs to UK ones...

Tiptopp
 

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
3. 3G connection in USA and UK are different, and I wouldn't even think of giving anyone advice. Nor will an Apple Store in the US.

Nope. they are both GSM and the ipad is sold unlocked.

You might be thinking of the whole 4G/LTE issue which can have some variations that might render it unusable at those speeds.

----------

You can check model numbers available here and in the States, so can make sure that it's the same LTE model number. Warranties are no issue now - they're global.

I would double check that. Make sure that Apple Care PLUS is indeed global or at least also honored in the UK and that she's not paying for it but would only get defect coverage in the UK. Ran into this during a shoot in Asia where they didn't have AC+ on iPads and they wanted me to pay for a damage replacement at 'full price'
 

old-wiz

macrumors G3
Mar 26, 2008
8,331
228
West Suburban Boston Ma
IIRC, with iPhones, the warranty only works in the country it was purchased in. I'm not sure if this holds true for iPads as well, but it should be checked out. They may have done this to try to stem the flow of people buying a bunch of them here and taking them to other countries.

Macs have worldwide warranty.
 
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