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Apple DUMPING base rmb????
- Thread starter Nychot
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On a related note, shouldn't there be rMBs coming to the refurbished store soon, if past experience is a guide?
Maybe, but given that it just now started becoming available for in-store pickup, past experience isn't that much of a guide. Other than the Mac Pro, I can't remember a Mac rollout that was as drawn out.
I saved £550 pounds on my 1.2 512 RMB, and did not buy direct from apple, in fact it cost me $1170 USD (favourable exchange rate and tax refund at airport). Don't worry, I bargain hunt around to get the best deal, as I know the pros/cons. My comments were aimed at the OP who claimed people paying full priceat apple were suckers. No, with Apples return policy and customer service, I know why many people buy direct from Apple.
I never said there were no legit deals, I stated that if you decide to return an item or get a refund from a 3rd party seller, you might regret your decision to save some money initially. My point is that people buying from Apple are not SUCKERS
The irony is that you have me as some huge fan boy defending apple, and I got a 1.2 for $1170
from a 3rd party, full warranty etc etc. You should always save money if you need to, there are people that want hassle free on here, and some are so pedantic to return items if they are not physically perfect etc, these people cannot shop at a 3rd party. Read through the forums where individuals return multiple apple devices to get a "perfect" one.
Today I am returning an item to apple, within the 14 day return, and it will be one of the least hassle experiences possible.
not true, Hong Kong has lower price than most places around the world, but China not, tax merchandise heavily, more expensive than quite a lot of places around the world.
As, I said, I had seen the prices in HK, not China. But the export price in China might be cheaper than the USA price, which does not include tax.
Didnt apple piss off owners of one of the ipads when it upgraded it like six months later and the 'old' one quickly dropped in price. I think this is going to happen or maybe is starting to happen presciently with sellers of the rmb because of all the negative professional reviews and i would guess low sales because of high price, one port etc. One cant judge sales volume based on volume of forum commenters. The number writing about the rmb here is a very tiny group compared to all mac laptop computer buyers, or lack thereof. I hope the price drop happens across the board so the damn thing becomes more affordable.
The original MacBook Air was released in January 2008. In October 2008 Apple released a significantly improved version based on Intel's newer chip. It wasn't as dramatic as the jumps in October 2010 and July 2011 in terms of performance, but the SSD version in particular was significantly cheaper than the January 2008 version (though it was still $2,499 for 128GB vs $2,999 for 64GB in the original).
I always try to time my Apple purchases (at least, notebooks and maybe iPads) for when I'm in the states for work or on an extended visit... the reason why I do this should be obvious if you just go to the Apple Store online (France), option-up a rMB to full spec, look at the price in euros and then convert that back to US dollars.. I don't know why it is, but I guess with European sales taxes and who knows what else, we always end up paying _way_ more than the prices in the states. It can be sometimes as much as $600 more expensive over here, I think even more sometimes. The only hassle is you need to buy a european power adaptor when you get back, and also if you wanted options (i.e. a CTO model) then you need to plan ahead and have someone with a US credit card and address order it for you so it arrives in time while you're there. Then bringing it back to Europe, I always leave the packaging behind just in case I get asked to pay duty on it when returning. I guess this is a legal grey area but if it happens to be timed with a visit to the US, saving 600 or more bucks is usually worth it. Now if only this strategy were feasible for picking up a 5K iMac....
Well, if you have a time-machine backup with you, you can make it look as if it has been used some time...
It's not a gray area, to be sure. Customs may actually ask you to provide a (EU)-receipt or ask you to pay double (AFAIK).
They normally don't, because they usually have bigger fish to fry (and rightly so - I'd rather they catch drug-smugglers and the like than going after people who "forget" to pay taxes on a consumer-product bought in the US (originally made in China, sourced from parts all over the world)...
Yep, I definitely always start using the machine before leaving (and indeed get it started off from a backup) so when I head home it's just with me as my laptop with my carry on luggage. Have never been asked any questions about that but I suppose it could always happen. As for it being a grey area, yep I'm sure it's not really one. But if you were in a country for an extended period of time (say on a work contract for more than 6 months), then I'm sure there is some kind of time limit where an item becomes "used" enough so as to not have to pay import duty on it anymore. Could be wrong about this of course.. In any case, I've only ever had the stars align once when I happened to be in LA when I needed an iPad, and once again longer ago when I needed a MBP. I suppose on either of those occasions, if they had stopped me at customs to insist that import duty needed to be paid, it wouldn't be the end of the world to just pay it. In the end though, I just wish that when you did a currency conversion check to see how much you pay for a Mac in Europe compared to the states, the difference just wasn't so darn flagrant and depressing..!
Well, due to taxes, it's about 160€ cheaper here in Switzerland than in France. The base rMB, that is.
You can probably save more on more expensive items.
France apparently has 20% VAT. Switzerland only has 8%.
Germany has 19%.
Who says it isn't the people's Europe? At least, they pay for it ;-)
You can probably save more on more expensive items.
France apparently has 20% VAT. Switzerland only has 8%.
Germany has 19%.
Who says it isn't the people's Europe? At least, they pay for it ;-)
Yep I'm sure local VAT has a lot to do with it. I guess a retina MacBook is probably the only thing in Switzerland I could afford then, seeing as a meal out at any normal restaurant in Geneva would probably max out my credit card...
Drug smugglers. what planet do you live on? you're worried about drug smugglers when isis is trying kill people on a paris-amsterdam train. wake up and smell the rmb.
I picked up an open-box base model in space grey yesterday at Best Buy for $1099. They were asking $1221 for it but the Apple manager dropped the price for me. Still had the plastic wrap and the screen protector. It looked brand new except for a couple of finger prints on the underneath of the case. I've never bought open-box before but figured it was worth taking the chance since I have 2 weeks to return it for a refund.
Tbh there's a great deal on the Marketplace for a base model @ $1000 OBO and I still can't bring myself to bite. I just feel the limitations of the first gen rmb are too much at this point for me to commit. Will definitely be interested in the second gen!
Don't think so. Skylake is too big of an upgrade for Apple to do a silent update, simply because the addition of TB3 alongside USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 in the same port will be too big of a deal. They'll want to market that. Also these chips apparently are slated for January 2016 or later release, so a full 1 year cycle is the most likely.
I can fully imagine that the rMB hasn't been selling as hoped by Apple after that initial few months frenzy after release. Only two months ago I had finally received my maxed CTO model after having waited over two months to get it!
Apple themselves won't budge on the price though, not until rev 2 at the earliest. Obviously the retailers have a bit of wiggle room, they are paying Apple wholesale, not retail. Retailers operate almost exclusively on a volume in total basis, and so places like Best Buy are willing to sell you a product during a promotional period or with coupons, or via price matching programs at less than 1-2% margins. One of the reasons why a company like Best Buy is always only a couple of bad quarters from being in real trouble. That is obviously not Apple's policy.
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There is no guarantee that the MacBook will support TB3. The chips are being released alongside Skylake but are not mandatory.
Also, I don't think you can measure sales based on wait times. Apple used a new supplier for the MacBook, which was the same supplier they used for the Watch. The yield issues for the Watch were well documented. My guess is that the MacBook was supply constrained. Sales might be higher right now because the MacBook is in stock and it's back to school season.