4 ms·

As an Australian with a Pixel XL which is still perfectly usable, just lacking 'support': > ... it’s fascinating that the most important detail is the price: $

by Jedd 6y ago

As an Australian with a Pixel XL which is still perfectly usable, just lacking 'support': > ... it’s fascinating that the most important detail is the price: $349. Local pricing on google store is A$599, despite US$349 ~= A$490. So not quite the same bargain for us, though not hugely surprising. > ... it’s worth remembering that technically, fall ends on December 21st this year. Living in a country with only a dozen or so native (only only mildly) deciduous trees, but a surfeit of eucalyptus that drop dangerously large branches, leaves, and bark all year long -- we don't call autumn fall, just autumn. And it runs 1st March to 31st May. Which adds some mental gymnastics on top of the corporate hermeneutics when dealing with these announcements.

mikelward 6y ago
Don't forget that US prices don't include sales tax. Where I am, sales tax adds another 9%, so about 380 USD.
TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
I'm in Tasmania, so that gave me quite the giggle. Yeah, well, Australian vendors are all trying to pay down their Toyota Prados and their seven rental property... so, fair go eh. On a more serious note, where can I get the Pixel A4 locally? I check a couple online stores yesterday but didn't see it yet.
- mikelward 6y ago
  JB and Google Store both have it. JB says the release date is September 10. https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/google-pixel-4a-128gb-just-black https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/google-pixel-4a-128gb-jus... https://store.google.com.au/product/pixel_4a https://store.google.com.au/product/pixel_4a
  - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
    Thanks mate! Partners Oppo digitiser is on the fritz. Probably get it fixed and keep as back up device and get a Pixel A4.
    - mikelward 6y ago
      No worries mate!
jeffparsons 6y ago
I think at this point it's just sloppy to use '$' by itself in any potentially-international context. I've worked for multiple companies where most of my colleagues consistently brushed this off. In each company, there was at least one significant budgeting stuff-up while I was there because someone interpreted a '$' number as the wrong kind of dollar. In the worst case I witnessed the "bill shock" was about 50 thousand dollars. (Wait, which "dollars" was that again?) At least with "fall" I know the author is talking about autumn in the northern hemisphere -- it's not so easy when someone writes that something is to be released "this summer". :)
- bigiain 6y ago
  > I think at this point it's just sloppy to use '$' by itself in any potentially-international context. Totally. It should, of course, have said: "0.0307227 BTC, as of 2020-08-04 01:31 UTC based on an average of the top 4 crypto exchanges" ;-) (
- Jedd 6y ago
  Oh, 'rest of world' has put up with this for years, but it's nice to complain every now and then. : ) I'd advocate ISO 8601 for everything, and it has periodicity built in -- though I happily concede "Coming in 2020-09/11" doesn't scan anywhere near as well, and would confuse way more people than it would satisfy.
  - jeffparsons 6y ago
    > "Coming in 2020-09/11" doesn't scan anywhere near as well, and would confuse way more people than it would satisfy. Sure, but those aren't our only options. "Late 2020" or "towards the end of 2020" capture that kind of vague time frame at least as well.
ksec 6y ago
>Local pricing on google store is A$599, despite US$349 ~= A$490. If I remember correctly, AUS has a 10% VAT. So that is $539. For the extra $60, you get an additional year of warranty and consumer protection that is offered by law.
- Jedd 6y ago
  > If I remember correctly, AUS has a 10% VAT. So that is $539. Yup, we've got a goods and services tax (GST) that's 10%, and it's illegal, IIRC, to advertise an item to end consumers that doesn't include it. So the AUD $599 value would include the GST - but you'd need to divide by 11, not 10, to find the GST component. Not much difference to your estimation of A$539 - the tax-free cost would be closer to A$545. I very much appreciate the benefits of our CP laws, but unless the devices are manufactured to a different standard than those sold in other parts of the world, that cost / value isn't wrapped up into the sale price.
  - distances 6y ago
    > I very much appreciate the benefits of our CP laws, but unless the devices are manufactured to a different standard than those sold in other parts of the world, that cost / value isn't wrapped up into the sale price. Maybe it is, through higher replacement rate due to longer warranty period?
    - Jedd 6y ago
      Could well be. I've had Nexus, Pixel, then Pixel XL - since soon after the first Nexus. I have replaced (due to hardware failures) Nexus and Pixel, under Google's warranty, which was 2 years. I don't know if they offer 2y hardware warranty everywhere, or only in AU because they're obligated to. Either way - back to TFA, that 4A model is looking like the perfect upgrade for the original Pixel XL - slightly smaller handset, slightly larger display, 3.5mm audio jack, improved performance, more onboard RAM & storage, and lacking a hideous list price.

by Jedd 6y ago

mikelward 6y ago

Don't forget that US prices don't include sales tax. Where I am, sales tax adds another 9%, so about 380 USD.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago

I'm in Tasmania, so that gave me quite the giggle. Yeah, well, Australian vendors are all trying to pay down their Toyota Prados and their seven rental property... so, fair go eh. On a more serious note, where can I get the Pixel A4 locally? I check a couple online stores yesterday but didn't see it yet.

mikelward 6y ago
JB and Google Store both have it. JB says the release date is September 10. https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/google-pixel-4a-128gb-just-black https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/google-pixel-4a-128gb-jus... https://store.google.com.au/product/pixel_4a https://store.google.com.au/product/pixel_4a
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  Thanks mate! Partners Oppo digitiser is on the fritz. Probably get it fixed and keep as back up device and get a Pixel A4.
  - mikelward 6y ago
    No worries mate!

jeffparsons 6y ago

I think at this point it's just sloppy to use '$' by itself in any potentially-international context. I've worked for multiple companies where most of my colleagues consistently brushed this off. In each company, there was at least one significant budgeting stuff-up while I was there because someone interpreted a '$' number as the wrong kind of dollar. In the worst case I witnessed the "bill shock" was about 50 thousand dollars. (Wait, which "dollars" was that again?) At least with "fall" I know the author is talking about autumn in the northern hemisphere -- it's not so easy when someone writes that something is to be released "this summer". :)

bigiain 6y ago
> I think at this point it's just sloppy to use '$' by itself in any potentially-international context. Totally. It should, of course, have said: "0.0307227 BTC, as of 2020-08-04 01:31 UTC based on an average of the top 4 crypto exchanges" ;-) (
Jedd 6y ago
Oh, 'rest of world' has put up with this for years, but it's nice to complain every now and then. : ) I'd advocate ISO 8601 for everything, and it has periodicity built in -- though I happily concede "Coming in 2020-09/11" doesn't scan anywhere near as well, and would confuse way more people than it would satisfy.
- jeffparsons 6y ago
  > "Coming in 2020-09/11" doesn't scan anywhere near as well, and would confuse way more people than it would satisfy. Sure, but those aren't our only options. "Late 2020" or "towards the end of 2020" capture that kind of vague time frame at least as well.

ksec 6y ago

>Local pricing on google store is A$599, despite US$349 ~= A$490. If I remember correctly, AUS has a 10% VAT. So that is $539. For the extra $60, you get an additional year of warranty and consumer protection that is offered by law.

Jedd 6y ago
> If I remember correctly, AUS has a 10% VAT. So that is $539. Yup, we've got a goods and services tax (GST) that's 10%, and it's illegal, IIRC, to advertise an item to end consumers that doesn't include it. So the AUD $599 value would include the GST - but you'd need to divide by 11, not 10, to find the GST component. Not much difference to your estimation of A$539 - the tax-free cost would be closer to A$545. I very much appreciate the benefits of our CP laws, but unless the devices are manufactured to a different standard than those sold in other parts of the world, that cost / value isn't wrapped up into the sale price.
- distances 6y ago
  > I very much appreciate the benefits of our CP laws, but unless the devices are manufactured to a different standard than those sold in other parts of the world, that cost / value isn't wrapped up into the sale price. Maybe it is, through higher replacement rate due to longer warranty period?
  - Jedd 6y ago
    Could well be. I've had Nexus, Pixel, then Pixel XL - since soon after the first Nexus. I have replaced (due to hardware failures) Nexus and Pixel, under Google's warranty, which was 2 years. I don't know if they offer 2y hardware warranty everywhere, or only in AU because they're obligated to. Either way - back to TFA, that 4A model is looking like the perfect upgrade for the original Pixel XL - slightly smaller handset, slightly larger display, 3.5mm audio jack, improved performance, more onboard RAM & storage, and lacking a hideous list price.