Britain the most expensive place to buy an iPad
submitted by markodonoghue on 04 June 2010
Britain is the world's costliest places to buy Apple's new iPad, with prices around a quarter higher than in the US, a new study has found.
While the much-hyped tablet should trade at the same price globally if exchange rates were properly adjusting, Australia's CommSec iPad Index found big savings for Europeans travelling to Asia, the US or even Down Under.
"In the UK, Germany, France and Italy an iPad costs 20-25% more than in the US," said Craig James, chief economist at the CommSec share trading division of Australia's Commonwealth Bank. "The question is whether Apple has priced its product too high for the European market, or whether the UK pound and euro need to depreciate further to bring global pricing into line."
Prices for the cheapest Wi-Fi-only version range from $499 in the US (excluding sales tax) to the equivalent of $620 in Britain (inc VAT) for the entry-level 16GB model. Canada ($520), Japan ($536) and Australia ($533) rounded out the price basement countries.
At the top end, an iPad 64GB model with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity cost $829 in the US against $1,010 in Britain and $980 in Germany, France and Italy. The tablet device, CommSec said, is identical across the globe so theoretically the only difference in pricing should be freight charges and local taxes.
"More generally, the CommSec iPad and CommSec iPod indexes suggest the US dollar needs to lift against major currencies, but more so against the Euro and pound sterling," James said.
Apple fans have mobbed stores in Europe and Asia as the iPad went on sale outside the US, with some shoppers queuing all night to get their hands on one.
Submitted by:
Mark O'Donoghue
Associated Links:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/358318/britain-the-most-expensive-place-to-buy-an-ipad
RSS Feed