Its a Tax thing!
donaldfleming said:
Did you know that a 2.5Ghz cost 2199 Pounds Sterling, thats 3986.79 U.S Dollars, Americans get it for 2999 U.S. It doesn't take a genius to figure thats a 987.78 US dollar (544.83 quid) saving in America. If apple sends them all to europe they'll be quids in.
May mine be the first machine off the production line that works correctly.
The mathematics of your point all add up perfectly. But you fail to take into account a huge cost incurred by the people/companies importing them into the UK/Europe. Apple UK import the products from outside of the UK (I think i am correct in saying that most UK items are built in Ireland). They incur import tax duty which in the UK, as with 99% of all UK taxes, is obscenely high.
I looked into this whole thing a while back when I set out to purchase my Dual 1.25Ghz G4. I researched it a little on the web but then decided to call Apple to ask for their explanation. The person at Apple i spoke to said that they are often asked that question and he proceeded to read me a pre-prepared statement outlining the difference in price. The facts of the matter are as follows....
Apple do not make any more profit per unit from sales outside the US. We, the customers, pay more for the unit as Apple passes on the import tax to us. You may find that the price charged for an item is different in all of the European countries that currently use the Euro. This is simply due to the differing levels of import tax imposed by each country. If you go through the motions of ordering something from the US, and properly importing it to the UK, the final cost is actually higher than buying from within the UK.
As I said earlier, British people are used to being ripped off by their Governments. We simply put up with it. Our petrol (Gas) prices recently peaked at 90+pence per litre (£4 per gallon approx). Do the math on that to find out how much that is in USD. It will give you a good example of our tax system. We also are subject to a 40% inheritance tax on assets over £263,000 on your death. A quick example.....
Your parents both die with total assets of £363,000....
£263,000 is tax exempt but whoever inherits from them must hand over £40,000 of the remaining £100,000 to our beloved Government.
On a slightly happier note. I just called Apple UK to check up on my order. My ship date is tomorrow, 30th July, and i was told that my machine WILL ship tomorrow. I will post again as and when i receive my confirmation.
