Well you can't blame Apple for our high taxes. It's much fairer to compare the prices without the VAT to get a more accurate figure for how much extra Apple are charging us.
Without tax it was 35% more expensive and is now 18% more.
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Apple Drops Price of Mac Mini Internationally
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Well you can't blame Apple for our high taxes. It's much fairer to compare the prices without the VAT to get a more accurate figure for how much extra Apple are charging us.
Without tax it was 35% more expensive and is now 18% more.
Or keep the price and change the form factor and offer the ability to have more bang for buck.
People always try to discuss price differences in terms of exchange rate and tax differences only. There is much more that goes into pricing than just those two items.
For example, in order for Apple to support business operations in a non-US country, they need to establish the infrastructure and comply with all of the local regulations/laws. There is maintenance of the online store and brick and mortar stores. These costs will then be spread across all of the products that are sold in that country. If the country has a smaller sales base, then the infrastructure costs per unit are higher than in a country with a larger market. This results in a higher unit cost in smaller markets.
GL
Plastic??
Next you will be suggesting white plastic??!! Who ever heard of such a thing? That would never fly! 
When they're having problems selling them, it's just because of the price.
When they introduced the Unibody Mini the base price jumped by 300 Euro (around $420) in Germany. A Mac Mini used to be available for around 500 Euro ($700), and afterwards was at 800 ($1120). Now it's at around 700 ($980)... sill some way to go before it gets really attractive again. These prices in Europe already include education rebates btw...
When they introduced the Unibody Mini the base price jumped by 300 Euro (around $420) in Germany. A Mac Mini used to be available for around 500 Euro ($700), and afterwards was at 800 ($1120). Now it's at around 700 ($980)... sill some way to go before it gets really attractive again. These prices in Europe already include education rebates btw...
But if you make it too expensive it doesn't sell.
Do you think Apple would have reduced the prices today if they had been selling like hotcakes?
It's still £100 too expensive.
$699 comes out at around £440, add the 17.5% VAT and a little for UK cost of doing business surcharge and it should be £549 or less.
$699 comes out at around £440, add the 17.5% VAT and a little for UK cost of doing business surcharge and it should be £549 or less.
I rated this negative only because no story on Macrumors can only have positive ratings!
That and the Canadian price is still the same, 50$ over US when our dollars are on or close to parity.
Oh poor you, the Austrailan dollar is now higher by 0.00005 and we're paying, $999 for the low and $1399 the high end. Quit whining.
prices
Higher prices in Europe are about 2 things:
Vat (which is not included in US prices)
2 year warranty in most european countries (its 1 year in US afaik).
There are also other ******** taxes in europe on computers like copyright and recyclation fees (dont know if these are in US).
Reduction is welcomed, hope it stays this way or go even lower with new minis.
Higher prices in Europe are about 2 things:
Vat (which is not included in US prices)
2 year warranty in most european countries (its 1 year in US afaik).
There are also other ******** taxes in europe on computers like copyright and recyclation fees (dont know if these are in US).
Reduction is welcomed, hope it stays this way or go even lower with new minis.
Still too expensive to want to make me change my older Mini.
The BTO options are ludicrous too. 8Gb RAM upgrade £400.01 - Crucial price £123.73! 500Gb drive £80.01, where you can buy a bare drive for about £30 retail. (Also, don't forget that the Apple upgrade price takes into account they are removing the original memory or hard disk first!)
The BTO options are ludicrous too. 8Gb RAM upgrade £400.01 - Crucial price £123.73! 500Gb drive £80.01, where you can buy a bare drive for about £30 retail. (Also, don't forget that the Apple upgrade price takes into account they are removing the original memory or hard disk first!)
It isn't. You're comparing it out of segment. Compare it within its segment, Small Form Factor, and it's decently priced and specced.
Remember kids - Size and footprint are specs too.
By your definition of underspec'ed and overpriced, every laptop on the market from every manufacturer is overpriced and underspecced, because an equivalent PC/screen/mouse is cheaper. It just doesn't work that way, the market is segmented for a reason.
If the price is too high to enter a market....you don't enter it...
I think that they are reducing the prices due to economic factors including inventory costs. In general, Apple's margins have been coming down slowly. The bit of information that none of us has is "what is the cost to do business in each of these countries?"...
Maybe it is a 17% adder in one country vs 13% in another. This is what triggers that variability in pricing around the world (in addition to plain tax and exchange rates).
GL
Yes, but that infrastructure also costs money in the US. Apple has a large number of stores in the UK - their infrastructure and logistics here must be pretty efficient.
The largest difference is probably due to the different trade and consumer regulations in Europe. If the standard warranty in the US is 1 year, in Europe it is effectively at least 2 years.
There's support under European law to take a product back for repair if it fails within what you'd expect to be a 'reasonable life' for that sort of product. That can extend well beyond the statutory two years for something like a computer which you WOULD reasonably expect to last longer.
These laws must add a quite significant extra cost to those doing business in Europe - and from the consumer's point of view it's worthwhile comparing the higher price of Apple kit here, compared to the saving you may be making on not really needing to buy Applecare.
What about retailers
Those that are Apple Premium Retailers. Should we expect them to lower the prices also?
Those that are Apple Premium Retailers. Should we expect them to lower the prices also?
Could you please tell me why the Mac Mini is not an entry level computer? Is the processor made by God's power? Did Flash ( Superhero) make the speedy RAM?
What is not entry-level besides the nice logo and the high-end price?
Australia always gets treated badly by Apple.
The Mac Mini is 40% higher here.
So once you take out GST 10%.
That is 30% increase for no good reason.
It is cheaper to get one sent here from the us.
**** you Apple
The Mac Mini is 40% higher here.
So once you take out GST 10%.
That is 30% increase for no good reason.
It is cheaper to get one sent here from the us.
**** you Apple
The form factor. The Mac Mini is not an entry level desktop tower, like those 300$ PCs you see floating around, it's a small form factor PC.
wow... capitalising on the strong aussie dollar (for those of you guys out there it's pretty much on parity with the US$)
We don't have a 2 year warranty. We only have some kind of assurance that the store where we bought a product is going to help us as best as he can in the case that we have trouble. But it's no warranty because after the manufacturers warranty (which is 1 year) is up repairing the defective unit costs the same fees that it normally would. The only thing we have is the assurance that we can get it repaired (for money) within 2 years and the shop will handle it for us. (At least in Germany!)
The mark-up on the new mini was way higher than that on other Apple products and it there was much discussion on the matter when it came out.
Why do you think the costs would be more than twice as much to sell a mini in Europe than a MacBook or iMac?
The physical infrastructure that Apple occupies in Europe is also more expensive. Even taking into account the premium locations of Apple Stores in NYC and Chicago, the average rent or price per square meter of store space in Europe is much higher than in the US.
In addition the sheer number of units sold in Europe is lower than in the US, which makes the overhead cost (office space, distribution costs, etc) per unit sold higher than in the US.