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MacBook purchase japan
- Thread starter Hanasshe
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Just check the Japanese Apple store to get prices? https://www.apple.com/jp/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15インチ
Base model 15" comes in at £1720, although there's likely going to be sales tax and other things on top of that - not to mention sales tax on your return to the UK (Which you'll gamble paying). And then also you'd have a none-British keyboard. Really depends if you're moving there or just going on holiday.
Base model 15" comes in at £1720, although there's likely going to be sales tax and other things on top of that - not to mention sales tax on your return to the UK (Which you'll gamble paying). And then also you'd have a none-British keyboard. Really depends if you're moving there or just going on holiday.
Hanasshe,
I lived in Japan for 10 years and I got used to using a Japanese keyboard but make sure you are okay with one before you buy it. Many of the punctuation keys are in different places and even more annoying is they have a shorter spacebar. They also include a few keys that are not needed unless you type Japanese. The real problem comes when you get used to it and then you suddenly have to use a non-Japanese keyboard.
Other than the keyboard, they are pretty much the same but for me, it would be worth it to buy it in the UK or travel to the US or Canada and get one. Normally in Japan, if you are tourist, you don't have to pay sales tax in some shops. In other shops, if you pay it, keep the receipt and you can get the sales tax back at the airport when you leave I believe.
I lived in Japan for 10 years and I got used to using a Japanese keyboard but make sure you are okay with one before you buy it. Many of the punctuation keys are in different places and even more annoying is they have a shorter spacebar. They also include a few keys that are not needed unless you type Japanese. The real problem comes when you get used to it and then you suddenly have to use a non-Japanese keyboard.
Other than the keyboard, they are pretty much the same but for me, it would be worth it to buy it in the UK or travel to the US or Canada and get one. Normally in Japan, if you are tourist, you don't have to pay sales tax in some shops. In other shops, if you pay it, keep the receipt and you can get the sales tax back at the airport when you leave I believe.
I’ve heard that some of the big computer stores /chains will put a western keyboard on a refurbished Mac- is anyone aware of this. The yen is quite low against the GBP right now so could I maybe bag a bargain???
Th
Hanasshe,
I bought several English keyboards there from an official Apple reseller (Yamada Denki) with no problem but I never tried to buy a laptop with an English keyboard. I would guess that you can buy a new one with whatever keyboard you'd like there but with a refurbished one, I have no idea?
I bought several English keyboards there from an official Apple reseller (Yamada Denki) with no problem but I never tried to buy a laptop with an English keyboard. I would guess that you can buy a new one with whatever keyboard you'd like there but with a refurbished one, I have no idea?
Hi, just wanted to chime in since I'm currently working in Japan!
Apple prices are often more reasonable here than in Europe, thanks to the relatively low VAT (8%) and the (currently) relatively favorable exchange rate. Keep in mind that if you go as a tourist and opt for purchasing it tax-free they'll staple a note to your passport, therefore there's a chance you might be asked to pay the applicable taxes when you come back to your country. If you're staying in Japan as a registered resident, you have no such option obviously.
Getting an English keyboard (US layout though, not UK) is definitely possible as a custom option if you order through the Apple Store. I wouldn't bet on a physical shop carrying Macs equipped with one, though. I discourage you from purchasing a JP keyboard unless you plan to actually use it to write in Japanese: the very different placement of punctuation and auxiliary keys, and the extremely short spacebar, will be a pain in the neck.
I'm not sure whether it's possible to slap a US keyboard on a JP refurbished Mac, if I were you I'd directly ask Apple Japan once you're there (they have a customer service line for English speakers as well), or pay a visit to the Ginza store in Tokyo. Usually they keep a foreign or English-speaking employee around to deal with non-Japanese customers, I went there for an iPhone screen replacement and their service was great.
Apple prices are often more reasonable here than in Europe, thanks to the relatively low VAT (8%) and the (currently) relatively favorable exchange rate. Keep in mind that if you go as a tourist and opt for purchasing it tax-free they'll staple a note to your passport, therefore there's a chance you might be asked to pay the applicable taxes when you come back to your country. If you're staying in Japan as a registered resident, you have no such option obviously.
Getting an English keyboard (US layout though, not UK) is definitely possible as a custom option if you order through the Apple Store. I wouldn't bet on a physical shop carrying Macs equipped with one, though. I discourage you from purchasing a JP keyboard unless you plan to actually use it to write in Japanese: the very different placement of punctuation and auxiliary keys, and the extremely short spacebar, will be a pain in the neck.
I'm not sure whether it's possible to slap a US keyboard on a JP refurbished Mac, if I were you I'd directly ask Apple Japan once you're there (they have a customer service line for English speakers as well), or pay a visit to the Ginza store in Tokyo. Usually they keep a foreign or English-speaking employee around to deal with non-Japanese customers, I went there for an iPhone screen replacement and their service was great.
I lived in Japan for 16 years and bought my fair share of Macs over that time.
Getting a new Mac with a different type of keyboard is easy. Just order directly from Apple online and you can choose your keyboard layout (Japanese, US, UK, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, etc.). If you buy at the online store you will need to either have a Japanese credit card associated with a Japanese address, or you can prepay at any convenience store. Paying at a convenience store would probably be the quickest and easiest option if you are just visiting.
You can also usually get a Mac with a US keyboard at any Apple store. I've been able to do so before and it was no problem. Other layouts though, like UK, will probably require you to special order.
I've rarely seen non-Japanese keyboards at the major electronic retailers (Yamada Denki, Bic Camera, etc.). Sometimes you will get lucky, but I've rarely heard of it happening.
The biggest annoyance for me with the Japanese keyboard - if you are used to a different layout - is the smaller space key. On each side of the space key there are keys to change the input between kanji, hiragana, and katakana, and this makes the space key much shorter. This was the one thing I could never get used to.
As for refurbished Macs, sometimes you will see them in the Apple online store with other keyboards but again this is rare. Most of the time they are Japanese keyboards.
In my experience Apple stores in Japan always have bilingual English/Japanese staff, so if you have any questions your best bet is to talk to them.
Have fun in Japan!
Getting a new Mac with a different type of keyboard is easy. Just order directly from Apple online and you can choose your keyboard layout (Japanese, US, UK, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, etc.). If you buy at the online store you will need to either have a Japanese credit card associated with a Japanese address, or you can prepay at any convenience store. Paying at a convenience store would probably be the quickest and easiest option if you are just visiting.
You can also usually get a Mac with a US keyboard at any Apple store. I've been able to do so before and it was no problem. Other layouts though, like UK, will probably require you to special order.
I've rarely seen non-Japanese keyboards at the major electronic retailers (Yamada Denki, Bic Camera, etc.). Sometimes you will get lucky, but I've rarely heard of it happening.
The biggest annoyance for me with the Japanese keyboard - if you are used to a different layout - is the smaller space key. On each side of the space key there are keys to change the input between kanji, hiragana, and katakana, and this makes the space key much shorter. This was the one thing I could never get used to.
As for refurbished Macs, sometimes you will see them in the Apple online store with other keyboards but again this is rare. Most of the time they are Japanese keyboards.
In my experience Apple stores in Japan always have bilingual English/Japanese staff, so if you have any questions your best bet is to talk to them.
Have fun in Japan!
