4 ms·

The real crime is that it starts at 1799 euros, which is $2100, vs $1599 in the US, I know US prices are before tax but even with 20% VAT you're far off...

reactordev 1y ago
Tariffs... Someone has to pay them and it sure isn't Apple.
- Moto7451 1y ago
  I think you read him backwards. It’s still cheaper in the US. Tariffs certainly exist in Europe but I’m unaware of any on these laptops and US Tariffs on goods from China don’t apply to goods from China to anywhere else that isn’t the US.
  - theodric 1y ago
    It should rather be "public option healthcare, social safety nets, and a robust surveillance state aren't going to pay for themselves"
- pigeonhole123 1y ago
  It's much cheaper in the US
  - forgotoldacc 1y ago
    I have a strong feeling Apple is raising prices elsewhere in order to avoid pissing off the notoriously sensitive consumers in America. Sony is doing similar things with making the PlayStation expensive everywhere to make it affordable for Americans. The world is essentially subsidizing the tariffs for Americans. People in other countries will get pissed but ultimately suck it up and buy a product. People in America will take it as a personal offense due to the current Maoist-style cult of personality, and you'll get death threats and videos of them shooting your products posted onto social media. Just look at what happened to that beer company. No such thing would happen in Germany.
    - reactordev 1y ago
      > I have a strong feeling Apple is raising prices elsewhere in order to avoid pissing off the notoriously sensitive consumers in America. Or a certain individual…
    - ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
      >The world is essentially subsidizing the tariffs for Americans. I was told the opposite thing would happen. Sounds like a great deal for us Americans!
- MagnumOpus 1y ago
  Macbooks shipped to Europe don't ever touch US ground (and I'd wager 99.9% of their parts don't either). So US tarriffs should be irrelevant - and the EU doesn't have big China tarriffs outside of EV and solar panel anti-dumping retaliation.
- kwanbix 1y ago
  Of course, you’re not wrong. Apple could subsidize by absorbing part of the tariff in the U.S. and overcharging in the EU. That said, in the EU we have a two-year warranty. VAT in the U.S. is no more than 12%.
masklinn 1y ago
1599 plus a 20% VAT is 1918. That's... far from the worst it's been TBH.
StopDisinfo910 1y ago
Apple overprices everything in the EU on top of not shipping new features. Currency risk is a thing but nowhere near the premium they charge. I personally vote with my wallet and stopped buying anything from them.
- rogerrogerr 1y ago
  Who don’t you vote with your vote and oppose regs that are preventing Apple from shipping new features in the EU?
  - randunel 1y ago
    Those regulations don't prevent apple from shipping anything, they prevent companies from abusing their users. Apple is free to ship without abusing anyone, but explicitly choose otherwise.
  - StopDisinfo910 1y ago
    Because these regulations are not preventing Apple from shipping, Apple is deciding to not ship to lobby against good regulations.
whydid 1y ago
The EU requires a 1 year warranty on electronics, where in the US it's only 90 days. The higher cost of electronics reflects this.
- FirmwareBurner 1y ago
  *) 2 year is the warranty for consumers in the EU. 1 year only for business/enterprise customers
- leakycap 1y ago
  > where in the US it's only 90 days As far as I know, the US has zero warranty laws. It can be zero days.
- lysace 1y ago
  Apple has a 1 year warranty in the US. https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-warranty-us.html https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-w...
- ciupicri 1y ago
  It's 2 years according to https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua... > Under EU rules, if the goods you buy turn out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them at no cost. If this is impossible or the seller cannot do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, you are entitled to a full or partial refund. You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee from the moment you received the goods. However, national rules in your country may give you extra protection. > The 2-year guarantee period starts as soon as you receive your goods. > If a defect becomes apparent within 1 year of delivery, you don't have to prove it existed at the time of delivery. It is assumed that it did unless the seller can prove otherwise. In some EU countries, this period of “reversed burden of proof” is 2 years.
thegreatpeter 1y ago
what happened to US tariffs? how can they be cheaper in the US than EU?
- wmf 1y ago
  Apple is exempt from tariffs.
- platevoltage 1y ago
  Tim Cook kissed the ring. That's all it takes.
spookie 1y ago
They've always been like this, it's why the market share is as as low as it is vs US.
chrismorgan 1y ago
ASUS’s ZenBook Duo (UX84060) is over 50% dearer in Australia than in the USA. When it was announced, I expected it to be at least 4000 AUD (~2600 USD). When I heard it was starting at 1500 USD instead (~2300 AUD), I was astonished and very excited. And it still is that price… but only in the US. In Australia it is 4000 AUD (the 32GB/1TB model, which is 1700 USD, ~2600 AUD). So I sadly didn’t get one. Is the rest of the world subsidising the US market, or are they just profiteering in the rest of the world?
- jiggawatts 1y ago
  Australia has actual consumer protections such as mandatory warranty repair for years on most high end electronics. This is the “real price” that includes the vendor’s estimated failure rate and cost to repair. Americans pay the same amount, but… stochastically. PS: Health care is similar. Australians pay a fairly predictable amount via taxes and Medicare, Americans gamble with bankruptcy every time they break a leg. But hey, if they don’t break a leg then the “system works”!
  - chrismorgan 1y ago
    Both have a one year warranty.

reactordev 1y ago

Tariffs... Someone has to pay them and it sure isn't Apple.

Moto7451 1y ago
I think you read him backwards. It’s still cheaper in the US. Tariffs certainly exist in Europe but I’m unaware of any on these laptops and US Tariffs on goods from China don’t apply to goods from China to anywhere else that isn’t the US.
- theodric 1y ago
  It should rather be "public option healthcare, social safety nets, and a robust surveillance state aren't going to pay for themselves"
pigeonhole123 1y ago
It's much cheaper in the US
- forgotoldacc 1y ago
  I have a strong feeling Apple is raising prices elsewhere in order to avoid pissing off the notoriously sensitive consumers in America. Sony is doing similar things with making the PlayStation expensive everywhere to make it affordable for Americans. The world is essentially subsidizing the tariffs for Americans. People in other countries will get pissed but ultimately suck it up and buy a product. People in America will take it as a personal offense due to the current Maoist-style cult of personality, and you'll get death threats and videos of them shooting your products posted onto social media. Just look at what happened to that beer company. No such thing would happen in Germany.
  - reactordev 1y ago
    > I have a strong feeling Apple is raising prices elsewhere in order to avoid pissing off the notoriously sensitive consumers in America. Or a certain individual…
  - ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
    >The world is essentially subsidizing the tariffs for Americans. I was told the opposite thing would happen. Sounds like a great deal for us Americans!
MagnumOpus 1y ago
Macbooks shipped to Europe don't ever touch US ground (and I'd wager 99.9% of their parts don't either). So US tarriffs should be irrelevant - and the EU doesn't have big China tarriffs outside of EV and solar panel anti-dumping retaliation.
kwanbix 1y ago
Of course, you’re not wrong. Apple could subsidize by absorbing part of the tariff in the U.S. and overcharging in the EU. That said, in the EU we have a two-year warranty. VAT in the U.S. is no more than 12%.

masklinn 1y ago

1599 plus a 20% VAT is 1918. That's... far from the worst it's been TBH.

StopDisinfo910 1y ago

Apple overprices everything in the EU on top of not shipping new features. Currency risk is a thing but nowhere near the premium they charge. I personally vote with my wallet and stopped buying anything from them.

rogerrogerr 1y ago
Who don’t you vote with your vote and oppose regs that are preventing Apple from shipping new features in the EU?
- randunel 1y ago
  Those regulations don't prevent apple from shipping anything, they prevent companies from abusing their users. Apple is free to ship without abusing anyone, but explicitly choose otherwise.
- StopDisinfo910 1y ago
  Because these regulations are not preventing Apple from shipping, Apple is deciding to not ship to lobby against good regulations.

whydid 1y ago

The EU requires a 1 year warranty on electronics, where in the US it's only 90 days. The higher cost of electronics reflects this.

FirmwareBurner 1y ago
*) 2 year is the warranty for consumers in the EU. 1 year only for business/enterprise customers
leakycap 1y ago
> where in the US it's only 90 days As far as I know, the US has zero warranty laws. It can be zero days.
lysace 1y ago
Apple has a 1 year warranty in the US. https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-warranty-us.html https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/embedded-mac-w...
ciupicri 1y ago
It's 2 years according to https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees/index_en.htm https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua... > Under EU rules, if the goods you buy turn out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them at no cost. If this is impossible or the seller cannot do it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, you are entitled to a full or partial refund. You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee from the moment you received the goods. However, national rules in your country may give you extra protection. > The 2-year guarantee period starts as soon as you receive your goods. > If a defect becomes apparent within 1 year of delivery, you don't have to prove it existed at the time of delivery. It is assumed that it did unless the seller can prove otherwise. In some EU countries, this period of “reversed burden of proof” is 2 years.

thegreatpeter 1y ago

what happened to US tariffs? how can they be cheaper in the US than EU?

wmf 1y ago
Apple is exempt from tariffs.
platevoltage 1y ago
Tim Cook kissed the ring. That's all it takes.

spookie 1y ago

They've always been like this, it's why the market share is as as low as it is vs US.

chrismorgan 1y ago

ASUS’s ZenBook Duo (UX84060) is over 50% dearer in Australia than in the USA. When it was announced, I expected it to be at least 4000 AUD (~2600 USD). When I heard it was starting at 1500 USD instead (~2300 AUD), I was astonished and very excited. And it still is that price… but only in the US. In Australia it is 4000 AUD (the 32GB/1TB model, which is 1700 USD, ~2600 AUD). So I sadly didn’t get one. Is the rest of the world subsidising the US market, or are they just profiteering in the rest of the world?

jiggawatts 1y ago
Australia has actual consumer protections such as mandatory warranty repair for years on most high end electronics. This is the “real price” that includes the vendor’s estimated failure rate and cost to repair. Americans pay the same amount, but… stochastically. PS: Health care is similar. Australians pay a fairly predictable amount via taxes and Medicare, Americans gamble with bankruptcy every time they break a leg. But hey, if they don’t break a leg then the “system works”!
- chrismorgan 1y ago
  Both have a one year warranty.