Waiting for the 2018 MBP

[meme1255]

It is the same in the EU, especially in Czechia, because the rate of the USD : EUR has improved from almost 1:1 USD : EUR to circa 1.2 USD / EUR and the CZK from 27.00 CZK / EUR (fixed rate due National Bank policy) to ~ 25.5 CZK / EUR. Together it could make quite a difference.
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UK prices include VAT, don't they?

They do, although the exchange rates are heavily outdated (and Apple profits from them significantly).

 

[sputnikBA]

It is the same in the EU, especially in Czechia, because the rate of the USD : EUR has improved from almost 1:1 USD : EUR to circa 1.2 USD / EUR and the CZK from 27.00 CZK / EUR (fixed rate due National Bank policy) to ~ 25.5 CZK / EUR. Together it could make quite a difference.
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They do, although the exchange rates are heavily outdated (and Apple profits from them significantly).

Still reeling from that last price increase here in the UK. Even the outdated Mac Mins and Mac Pros went up in price and it was disgraceful. It also made the touch bar price bumps even more painful than they were before.

Really hoping that they use this education event as an opportunity to readjust the conversion rates, but I’m not holding my breath on that at all.

 

[meme1255]

Still reeling from that last price increase here in the UK. Even the outdated Mac Mins and Mac Pros went up in price and it was disgraceful. It also made the touch bar price bumps even more painful than they were before.

Really hoping that they use this education event as an opportunity to readjust the conversion rates, but I’m not holding my breath on that at all.

I am afraid that the prices won’t be that much improved as the NAND and DRAM prices went uphill since last year. But it still should be at least a little bit better.

 

[Falhófnir]

UK prices include VAT, don't they?

Yes that’s why the prices are now virtually identical in USD or GBP, the exchange rate was £1=$1.22 (approx average) in October 2016. Once you add the 20% VAT that pretty well balances things out (ignoring any sales tax in the US). The rate is now £1=$1.40 or so, thus I’m expecting a (modest) price drop across the board when the next product launches and they update the store. If they don’t... that’s just breathtakingly greedy!

 

[dgdosen]

Still reeling from that last price increase here in the UK. Even the outdated Mac Mins and Mac Pros went up in price and it was disgraceful. It also made the touch bar price bumps even more painful than they were before.

Really hoping that they use this education event as an opportunity to readjust the conversion rates, but I’m not holding my breath on that at all.

My friends, you're worried about pricing and exchange rates, but tomorrow (Thursday), Dear Leader is going to turn up trade tariffs with China... I would think these tariffs would be aimed towards goods where the US has a valid gripe towards tariffs in China, but electronic goods are a big portion of that trade imbalance, Apple makes things in China, and when trade wars start, they usually don't stop at the first round.

Buckle Up. If I'm wrong tomorrow afternoon, feel free to point your fingers at me.

 

[leman]

They do, although the exchange rates are heavily outdated (and Apple profits from them significantly).

Really hoping that they use this education event as an opportunity to readjust the conversion rates, but I’m not holding my breath on that at all.

They usually update the rates when new products are released. True, right now EU/GBP are recovering in relation to USD, so Apple benefits from the old conversion, but there were also times where it went the other way around and they still didn't adjust it mid-flight.

 

[OreoCookie123]

8th Gen Intel Core now being advertised as “Sponsored” on my Instagram and Facebook, and they appear like a teaser reveal type ad.

Gotta be soon!

 

[gobikerider]

8th Gen Intel Core now being advertised as “Sponsored” on my Instagram and Facebook, and they appear like a teaser reveal type ad.

Gotta be soon!

Are your sure it’s not just ads for the desktop “8th gen” chips

 

[OreoCookie123]

Are your sure it’s not just ads for the desktop “8th gen” chips

No, as it was talking about the better battery life.

 

[Poki]

No, as it was talking about the better battery life.

Still could just be an ad for the 15W 8th gen CPUs released last September, since notebooks using these chips are now widely available.

 

[Ries]

Still could just be an ad for the 15W 8th gen CPUs released last September, since notebooks using these chips are now widely available.

Or the one scraped dual core without iGPU 10nm CPU they "released" but havn't been seen in a project yet.

 

[Frederik on MacRumors]

I totally agree with you. A base 15" MBP costs $2,399 in the USA but here in Italy it's much more expensive: €2,899 (with taxes), that is ~$3,600! That's insane!

Yep. The base model 15” is 2,352.10€ without tax. This translates to $2,905.69.

We pay +24%

Even if you would include the higher warranty cost (due to 24 month warrenty right in Europe) it doesn’t justify the $500. It might be ok if apple included apple care at no cost in Europe.

 

[Poki]

Even if you would include the higher warranty cost (due to 24 month warrenty right in Europe) it doesn’t justify the $500. It might be ok if apple included apple care at no cost in Europe.

Just to add - the "24 month warranty" in Europe is almost entirely pointless. After the first 6 months, you have to prove the defect was already there when you bought the device, which is impossible in most cases. It also doesn't cover any defects that occur after you bought something.

 

[windows12]

I could use some advice, in 2 weeks I will have the chance to buy a new 15" 2017 MBP for 500usd less than what it costs in my country and I am trying to decide whether it's better to buy it or to wait for the 2018 mbp and then buy the 13" for almost the same price but with whatever improvements the 2018 version will offer.

 

[alexqndr]

I could use some advice, in 2 weeks I will have the chance to buy a new 15" 2017 MBP for 500usd less than what it costs in my country and I am trying to decide whether it's better to buy it or to wait for the 2018 mbp and then buy the 13" for almost the same price but with whatever improvements the 2018 version will offer.

Depends how long you can wait. If you buy the 15" now, you'll have a quad core machine with a 15" display. If you buy the 2018 you'll probably have a quad core machine with a 13" display. Also, no one really knows when the new MBP are coming out, we could even have to wait until November. I would wait to see what is announced at the education event on the 27th of March.

 

[EugW]

I could use some advice, in 2 weeks I will have the chance to buy a new 15" 2017 MBP for 500usd less than what it costs in my country and I am trying to decide whether it's better to buy it or to wait for the 2018 mbp and then buy the 13" for almost the same price but with whatever improvements the 2018 version will offer.

It's up to you decide if you want a 13" or a 15". They are very different. I for one have zero desire to buy a 15". My only choices for my usage and preference is 12" or 13", with 12" preferred.

However, my primary machine is an iMac with dual 27" screens.

 

[JTToft]

Just to add - the "24 month warranty" in Europe is almost entirely pointless. After the first 6 months, you have to prove the defect was already there when you bought the device, which is impossible in most cases. It also doesn't cover any defects that occur after you bought something.

- Do you have personal experience with this? Because what you say is not very representative of the way it works - at least here in Denmark.

You do not have to actually technically prove that the defect was present at purchase. You just have to make probable that you yourself did not cause the defect by abusing the equipment. That requirement is typically fulfilled simply if there is no substantial visible physical damage to the item. I haven't once in my life had a claim rejected because I wasn't able to satisfy the burden of proof.

It is true that it does not cover problems which did not exist at purchase. But it does cover defects that only manifest themselves after purchase but existed latently at purchase. This includes design errors which only affect the product after 1.5 years - say a failing keyboard on a 2016 MacBook Pro or a flawed GPU on a 2011 MacBook Pro or a cable which worked fine for a year but then becomes problematic due to poor design one month later.
In practice, this is no problem either.

In most cases, the 2-year Consumer Rights Protection is as good as a manufacturer warranty - and in many cases better.

 

[EugW]

In Canada I just use my credit card to get a second year of warranty. It's the same warranty as Apple's 1-year warranty, but just with an extra year.

 

[mendosasenemy]

In the U.K we have the Consumer Act 2015 which states:

‘If you discover the fault within the first six months of having the product, it is presumed to have been there since the time you took ownership of it - unless the retailer can prove otherwise’.

‘If a fault develops after the first six months, the burden is on you to prove that the product was faulty at the time you took ownership of it’.

A product should be expected to last a minimum of six years. However, I understand this can become a Grey area and requires an independent test to be carried out.

 

[JSt83]

Just to add - the "24 month warranty" in Europe is almost entirely pointless. After the first 6 months, you have to prove the defect was already there when you bought the device, which is impossible in most cases. It also doesn't cover any defects that occur after you bought something.

This is not my experience, also this doesn't seem compliant with EU consumer law. Any source for your statement?

 

[leman]

Just to add - the "24 month warranty" in Europe is almost entirely pointless. After the first 6 months, you have to prove the defect was already there when you bought the device, which is impossible in most cases. It also doesn't cover any defects that occur after you bought something.

I think you are confusing it with the UK. AFAIK, within the EU, there is no 6 month rule — as a costumer, you are entitled to a repair or replacement — free of charge — if the product is not functioning as reasonably expected within the 24 months from purchase. The is of course the nuance of what constitutes "reasonably expected", but in practice, I never had any issues with the 24-month warranty in any EU country.

 

[Poki]

I think you are confusing it with the UK. AFAIK, within the EU, there is no 6 month rule — as a costumer, you are entitled to a repair or replacement — free of charge — if the product is not functioning as reasonably expected within the 24 months from purchase. The is of course the nuance of what constitutes "reasonably expected", but in practice, I never had any issues with the 24-month warranty in any EU country.

I don't know about the UK, but I do know about the EU: The law is that after 6 months, you have to prove the fault was there when you bought it. And I never got any free repair after one year when the manufacturer warranty ended - I always had to pay for it.

 

[afir93]

This is not my experience, also this doesn't seem compliant with EU consumer law. Any source for your statement?

I'm not the person you're responding to, but he's right: to quote the EU website as a source: "After 6 months, in most EU countries, you need to prove that the defect already existed on receipt of the goods - for example, by showing that it is due to the poor quality of the materials used." The "you" in this statement is the consumer – the demand of proof that something was wrong from the beginning lies by the consumer here.

If this is not your experience then the reason for that may very well be that many big companies don't strictly stick to this rule and allow for more leniency in favor of the customer. With Apple specifically I have read a number of times that products with common or plausible production issues are just taken in for free repair/replacement anyway during that 2-year period without further questioning or demanding proof of the customer.

After all, you don't want to lose a customer over something like this; paying a (for example) 300€ repair that is very likely to be caused by a faulty unit/production issues anyway is a negilible cost if it keeps the user in the Apple ecosystem and makes him spend possibly thousands of € on Apple products in the future.

 

[Ries]

I don't know about the UK, but I do know about the EU: The law is that after 6 months, you have to prove the fault was there when you bought it. And I never got any free repair after one year when the manufacturer warranty ended - I always had to pay for it.

Never ever had a problem getting repair or a new device within 24 months or know anyone who has, as long it looked like it should function.

 

[JSt83]

From https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/faq/index_en.htm

• I bought a phone a little over a year ago, and it has stopped working. The trader refuses to fix it for free. Don't I have a two-year legal guarantee?
  The legal guarantee is valid for a period of two years throughout the EU. But there are certain conditions.
  
  The legal guarantee covers any defects presumed to have existed at the time of delivery and which become apparent within a period of two years. However, the crucial time period here is the six months following purchase:
  
  • Any fault that appears within six monthswill be presumed to have existed at the time of delivery. The seller must then repair or replace your phone free of charge - or reimburse you if repairs or replacement are impossible.
  • After six months, you can still hold the seller responsible for any defects during the full two-year guarantee period. However, if the seller contests this, you must be able to prove that the defect existed at the time of delivery. This is often difficult, and you will probably have to involve a technical expert.