Arve Bersvendsen

Comment from Bryan Feeney on 2005-01-12 16:25

Well, there are a few things to consider.

First, you should strip VAT from the prices, which in the Irish case accounts for €90. As far as I know, VAT is a lot less in the US than in European countries (and I suspect it’s quite high in Norway).

Secondly, you’ve got to remember that European MacMinis are built in Europe (in Cork, Ireland, where I live), and wages are paid in Euros, not dollars, so a simple application of exchange rates doesn’t work.

Finally, you’ve got to remember that the exchange rate has hit a very unusual low that reflects the policies of the US administration more than the difference between the US and European economies. Being Irish, I can tell you that Irish people can afford to pay €510 for a PC. In fact, €510 for a computer with MacOS X, iLife and AppleWorks (i.e. everything you need for home computing) and the almost complete absence of viruses and malware is pretty good by Irish standards. Even if you add an apple keyboard and 512MB of memory, for €620 you’re getting a pretty good deal.

It’s not something I would buy for myself, but once Tiger comes out it’ll definitely be an upgrade I’d recommend for my parents and their friends

Comment from Bryan Feeney on 2005-01-12 22:02

Actually, if you take away VAT (Irish = $120, Norway = $145) you get the following prices:

Ireland : $586
Norway: $593

Comparied to Ireland, Apple is only overcharging you by seven dollars! Compared to the states, it’s a bit more ugly of course, but I don’t think it’s a whole $86. Given that they have to pay for local labour and shipping of parts, I’d say it’s more like $30 higher, which still isn’t pleasant, but it’s hardly extorionate.

Regarding the pricing, I’ve always been rather dubious of Apple’s margins, but I think the Mac Mini, once Tiger is shipped, will be worth it.

Dell could ship the same for up to €100 less, but that extra €100 you pay for Apple gets you a quality operating system, with quality apps (bar AppleWorks, which is only alright) and freedom from the vast majority of viruses and trojans.

For mom & pop users, I think that’s worth the extra money.

For me, I’m quite partial to my PC with Linux, and I can’t see myself switching to a PowerPC in the near future. I’d never consider the iMac, it looks great, but the specs are a bit limited, and I feel you’re paying a bit too much for style. However it’s another good mom & pop PC.

Actually, I’m not sure if mom & pop is the best way of describing that market. There’s lots of people out there, not just mom & pops, with no interest in games or development, who just want office, internet and maybe a bit of multimedia with no hassle. Apple suits these people down to the ground. Dell is cheaper, but the system software is far from hassle free.

What I’d be interested to know, though, is where is the eMac going? Now there’s an overpriced PC if ever I saw one! I’m beginning to suspect they’ve priced it to nullify the educational discount.

Comment from Håkon on 2005-01-15 10:49

Explaining the price difference with Irish wages doesn’t make sense if production is cheaper some other place. At present there may be cheaper countries within the EU as well.

And if the US$ exchange rate is has hit a very unusual low it allows US companies to sell more dirt cheap computers, not jacking up the price per unit.

Comment from Dean W on 2005-01-18 05:32

As a Brit who lives in the USA, I can tell you that US$499 is not the price I’d be paying for the Mini Mac either (I’d pay $534). Prices quoted in the USA don’t include taxes because the amount changes by state and sometimes by city. So to get a more reasonable 1 to 1 comparison you must remove VAT and then compare. In which case you’re more likely to see a much more reasonable margin, which probably accounts for duty and shipping.

Comment from Blaise on 2005-01-18 22:26

this is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. You could make this same statement about any other product. If you look at US magazines they always have a US and Canada price and the Canada price is always a couple dollars more, so how dare all magazine companies. Also how dare everyone that doesn’t use US currency because the dollar is losing value daily on other nation’s currencies. You are being ridiculous.

Comment from Ed Grau on 2005-03-12 01:16

I don’t think Apple USA sets the prices for foreign. Rather the distributor does. Even if its an Apple subsidiary, they have to add import duties imposed by the local government. That’s usually why the cost is higher.

Ed

Comment from jackie on 2006-03-27 12:08

Just wondering if you would be able to help me.

I would like to buy a macmini as a present for someone.

What is the best price for one in Dublin.

Many Thanks