Thanks for all the replies - really interesting stuff.
Going slightly off topic. I was looking at contingency planning yesterday - my DR is sorted but I need to know how to handle a worse case situation. As in how much will it cost and how soon could a new Mac arrive.
Is it just me or do Apple products seem more expensive now - took me by surprise. A top of the line Mackbook Pro costs £2200 in the UK
What’s particularly galling is that the same machine bought from the US costs £1600! That’s like asking a US customer to spend $3500 rather than the $2600 they currently retail for. (Is there an apple store in Vegas!)
I know this isn’t a new phenomenon and that there’s more to it than currency conversion but £600 difference for the same machine? I find this quite hard to swallow.
No wonder Hackintoshes are getting more popular!
Yeah Mac’s in the UK are too expensive, last time I bought a new Mac and bits here in Taiwan, I saved myself enough to buy a MacBook Air (If I wanted)!
Don’t forget when you look online, U.S. sites don’t include sales tax. And lastly, you’re taxed twice in the U.K. (import duty and VAT). If you’re going to the states, buy it there and a APP at the same time, take it all out the box (remove the plastic covering) and stick it in your backpack or computer bag, don’t try to walk through customers with the box (or you’ll end up paying back everything you saved). If you want to keep the box (which I do), mail it to yourself and mark documentation on the customs form.
The great thing about Apple, is their worldwide warranties. My wife’s Vaio, which we bought in the states (with the extended warranty) was only covered in the U.S., so when it died here in Taiwan… I bought her a Mac instead 