1 euro = more than 1 dollar: ridiculous european apple-prices

[groov']

Since Greenspans 0,5 % interest-cut 1 euro is more worth dan 1 dollar. The euro is on a steady rise already a couple of month's. You can see that in PC-prices. Desktops range now from 600 (basic) to 1500 (top). Almost all notebooks (even the newest ones) are offered as 'action models' from 900 to 1500 (windows XP pro, 15 inch screens, DDR memory, 2,2 Ghz intel, combo-drive, firewire and usb 2.0). Salestax included!

Now Apple.

Prices in Europe (before salestax) are at least 10 % or even 30 % higher in euros than in dollars, depending the country where you live. Salestax is as high as 20%, in my country 19 %.

This means that a new 14 inch iBook will cost you 2140 euros (tax included) + shipping.

see http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObj...R1BoyxiFa/0.3.0.3.27.29.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?98,73

The highend powerbook will cost you 3925 euros (tax included)

see http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObj...1BoyxiFa/0.3.0.3.27.33.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?123,55

I ask you who is going to buy that, in this economic iceage???

I assure you as long as Apple is treating us like this and offers such 'slow' machines, they are going to loose a lot of people here. More than half of the Mac-owners I know have already switched last year, back to the evil empire. And guess what? They're glad they did. They got al lot of power for almost nothing and never experience any crashes with XP!

So, after all those Apple-years I'm also thinking about switching. Maybe an windows-box will serve me for a year or 2 and after that I''ll go back to a new Apple-supercomputer. If they ever deliver, or even exist at that time.

Best idea would be if Apple becomes a software-company and leaves the PC-build to others, like MS. I (and probably a lot of other people) would buy OSX for intel or AMD immediately.

It is whith pain in my heart that I have to write all this...

 

[backspinner]

Re: 1 euro = more than 1 dollar: ridiculous european apple-prices

Originally posted by groov'
I ask you who is going to buy that, in this economic iceage???

Me and freinds, after they decided they wanted a unix powerbook AND easy to use and maintain daily PC. And after they stopped whining of course! It's true that the euro has risen lately and that is not yet reflected in the current prices, but they will sometime. Keep in mind that waranty is longer in Europe.

 

[iGav]

Good luck with your switch.........

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Re: 1 euro = more than 1 dollar: ridiculous european apple-prices

Originally posted by groov'
Best idea would be if Apple becomes a software-company and leaves the PC-build to others, like MS. I (and probably a lot of other people) would buy OSX for intel or AMD immediately.

I certainly hope not - Apple to me is much more than just an operating system, and I'd hate to see the world of computer design left to HP/Dell/Compaq etc. Uhg!

Looks like its time for a trip to the states.......

D

 

[DeKa]

Re: 1 euro = more than 1 dollar: ridiculous european apple-prices

Originally posted by groov'

The highend powerbook will cost you 3925 euros (tax included)

see http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObj...1BoyxiFa/0.3.0.3.27.33.0.1.3.1.3.1.1.0?123,55

I ask you who is going to buy that, in this economic iceage???

What about in Australia where a top line Powerbook 1Ghz is $6499. Who's going to pay that!? Paying $4395 for my 17" iMac was bad enough

The Aussie dollar is very very low... by at least our GST is only 10%

Derek.

 

[groov']

Re: Re: 1 euro = more than 1 dollar: ridiculous european apple-prices

Originally posted by DeKa


What about in Australia where a top line Powerbook 1Ghz is $6499. Who's going to pay that!? Paying $4395 for my 17" iMac was bad enough

The Aussie dollar is very very low... by at least our GST is only 10%

Derek.

You must be kidding...

$6499, you mean australian dollars ? How much american dollars is that??

 

[peter2002]

U forgot tariffs and VAT

Hold your horse testes!

You forgot taxes at the wholesale level and tariffs. Since Macs are imported, Apple must pay a tariff to import into the EU. The rates vary from country to country. Second, VAT is also paid at the wholesale level. So Apple must also pay a 15%-23% VAT on the wholesale value of their computers, which is added to the retail price. The EU loves taxing folks to death, that is why your prices are higher on imported goods like Macs, L.A. made porno, etc.

On our side, the same is true in the USA. A Mercedes SL55 costs about $40K more than you could buy it in Berlin.

If you want to save money, just buy it online from a Apple authorized dealer in the USA, or Monaco and have them ship it in a plain package marked "Cookies" to avoid customs.

Peter

 

[groov']

Re: U forgot tariffs and VAT

Originally posted by peter2002
Hold your horse testes!

You forgot taxes at the wholesale level and tariffs. Since Macs are imported, Apple must pay a tariff to import into the EU. The rates vary from country to country. Second, VAT is also paid at the wholesale level. So Apple must also pay a 15%-23% VAT on the wholesale value of their computers, which is added to the retail price.

Peter

Most Macs are not imported in Europe. A lot of them are build in Ireland, which is part of the EU, so no extra taxes. Others come from Singapore. Just like PC's that cost almost nothing.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Re: U forgot tariffs and VAT

Originally posted by peter2002
Hold your horse testes!

If you want to save money, just buy it online from a Apple authorized dealer in the USA, or Monaco and have them ship it in a plain package marked "Cookies" to avoid customs.

You better hope that in inspectors don't get hungry....

I had a case of wine shipped from Italy a couple years ago when I was there and somehow it got through customs without me having to pay anything extra. Still have no idea how that happened, but the shop owner in Sienna assured me that it would get there. It was a bit of a gamble, but it worked.

D

 

[iGav]

Re: Re: U forgot tariffs and VAT

Originally posted by dukestreet


You better hope that in inspectors don't get hungry....

I had a case of wine shipped from Italy a couple years ago when I was there and somehow it got through customs without me having to pay anything extra. Still have no idea how that happened, but the shop owner in Sienna assured me that it would get there. It was a bit of a gamble, but it worked.

D

Customs can be really hit and miss sometimes can't they!! Tee Hee.....

I've ordered stuff from the States before and it's just whizzed through customs.... other times I've been lumbered with F-in HUGE fees!!

HM Customs really are friggin' something else!!!

 

[scem0]

I assure you as long as Apple is treating us like this and offers such 'slow' machines, they are going to loose a lot of people here. More than half of the Mac-owners I know have already switched last year, back to the evil empire. And guess what? They're glad they did. They got al lot of power for almost nothing and never experience any crashes with XP!

That is exactly what I did, and what I am planning to do. So far
my PC has been great. Kazaa is awesome... I can't stress that
enough. I downloaded and burned (in a period of 2 and a half
days) 26 kung fu movies, that aren't even popular, such as
'The evil cult' with Jet Li, and many more. It is so fast, everything
downloads, and it never gives me any trouble. Get out of your
mac world, its not worth it. Hehe im totally just kidding. I still
like macs more, I only got a PC because I couldn't afford a mac.

 

[rice_web]

I'm actually glad that this guy is considering a switch to a Windows XP machine. Whatever anyone says, they run fine, the GUI is much improved over Windows 2000 (okay, I prefer W2K for speed, but no other reason), and the P4s are really starting to crank out some nice performance.

I will likely be buying the $999 iBook within the week, but I'm also considering upgrades to my exisiting PCs--they need new processors, graphics cards, and I don't know if I can stand CRT displays any longer.

My iMac DV has been a great computer, and its ease of use for my mother and father has proven to me that a Mac is going to stay in this household for a long time. The local school district use Macs, and my ability to access my iMac from school allows me to work on projects like I never thought I'd be able to.

PCs are wonderful for their outstanding speed. At my father's office sits a P4 2.2GHz beast. This computer eats everything but a select group of Athlon XPs and P4s (and, of course, DUAL-1.25GHz G4s, but that's a dual-configuration). For video editing, you'd have to give me a good reason to switch from this P4 to a PowerMac.

The point is: choose what you need and what fits into your budget. Heck, the cheapest of PCs really aren't that bad. Yes, the components have a fairly good chance of breaking after a short while, but one gets a great machine for internet surfing, word processing, and even gaming (on occasion). Besides, it's more than likely upgradeable.