cheapest way to get one UK

[oililymad]

ok i read the ongoing thread about the calculated guesses re the price..

i am not great at this stuff, so please dont start slating me ..

i want an ipad for my 6 year old sons birthday its march 29th. ( he alreaady has an ipod touch, so knows how to use it and can punch in my itunes password to help himself to apps !!)

do i have any other options other than pay out whatever apple want for it here
or persuade me friend in the usA to post me one

also re the wifi 3g.. clearly the 3g version isnt going to be out in time for his birthday, can i plug a ( albeit ugly) dongle in the side for him to use at school?

ok again please dont slate me.

I am just trying not to pay over the odds, but always end up getting a crap deal buying macs, macbooks, iphones etc just before the price drops..

 

[rdowns]

An iPad for a 6 year old?
Who has an iPod touch?

There is no place to plug in a dongle.

 

[badgerman]

ok i read the ongoing thread about the calculated guesses re the price..

i am not great at this stuff, so please dont start slating me ..

i want an ipad for my 6 year old sons birthday its march 29th. ( he alreaady has an ipod touch, so knows how to use it and can punch in my itunes password to help himself to apps !!)

do i have any other options other than pay out whatever apple want for it here
or persuade me friend in the usA to post me one

also re the wifi 3g.. clearly the 3g version isnt going to be out in time for his birthday, can i plug a ( albeit ugly) dongle in the side for him to use at school?

ok again please dont slate me.

I am just trying not to pay over the odds, but always end up getting a crap deal buying macs, macbooks, iphones etc just before the price drops..

i rec best bet is to get a friend to order on amazon.com and if in a tax free state then will get it for $399. They can import it to UK tax free as found by Northy on the other UK thread.

Dongle wont work, but Mifi or JB iphone would.

You have a very lucky 6 year old!

 

[Xenoxide]

ok i read the ongoing thread about the calculated guesses re the price..

i am not great at this stuff, so please dont start slating me ..

i want an ipad for my 6 year old sons birthday its march 29th. ( he alreaady has an ipod touch, so knows how to use it and can punch in my itunes password to help himself to apps !!)

do i have any other options other than pay out whatever apple want for it here
or persuade me friend in the usA to post me one

also re the wifi 3g.. clearly the 3g version isnt going to be out in time for his birthday, can i plug a ( albeit ugly) dongle in the side for him to use at school?

ok again please dont slate me.

I am just trying not to pay over the odds, but always end up getting a crap deal buying macs, macbooks, iphones etc just before the price drops..

The device doesn't come out ANYWHERE until March, we don't know what date.

With regards to the "calculated" price, the device will cost $499 in the US. The 2TB Time Capsule costs $499 in the US Apple Store, and it costs £388 in the UK Apple Store.

So I'm betting it'll be around £388.

Your cheapest bet is probably just to wait until it comes out over here.

 

[oililymad]

ok. i dont know what mifi is. sorry

and yes he is very lucky, he has had an ipod touch since launch and he is only 5 now!!

please can someone explain

 

[limesmoothie]

ok. i dont know what mifi is. sorry

and yes he is very lucky, he has had an ipod touch since launch and he is only 5 now!!

please can someone explain

Mifi is a wireless broadband dongle/router that you can get on the 3 network.

PAYG the Mifi is about £50, free on contract - cheapest contract is about £10 per month. Its certainly my plan to get one when the iPad comes out - not waiting/paying extra for built in 3g. Also, you can use it with your other devices and share the connection between multiple users.

Unless the iPad is coming out for free or v v cheap with a data contract, I don't see the point of a 3G + Wifi model.

 

[oililymad]

my sons needs this because he has issues with writing he cant hold a pencil for long due to muscle problems.

thank you for explaining that mifi thing, i appreciate it,

i was actually going to buy a macbook for him probably a macbook air because its so light.

 

[MichaelThomas]

my sons needs this because he has issues with writing he cant hold a pencil for long due to muscle problems.

Your an awesome mum

 

[bossxii]

One cool thing I wanted to mention, if he has issues with writing is the "Dragon speech" app, which allows you to talk to the device, and it translates speech to text. Very cool app and works rather well. As far as I know of one of the few that really work.

Hope your son has a happy bday He will enjoy his new iPad!

 

[goobot]

i didnt even have a cell pone till 8th grade yet a 6 year old has an ipod touch/ipad?

op no dongle sorry.

also you may not get the wifi version in time either due to it coming out in late march.

 

[Addicted2apple]

Your an awesome mum

she is a fantastic mum!!!

 

[sassenach74]

One cool thing I wanted to mention, if he has issues with writing is the "Dragon speech" app, which allows you to talk to the device, and it translates speech to text. Very cool app and works rather well. As far as I know of one of the few that really work.

Yeah, I really want this app but it isn't even available on the UK store. Bah!

 

[goobot]

i almost forgot to mention can you adopt me?

 

[sassenach74]

i almost forgot to mention can you me?

I've read that 5 times and it still doesn't make sense.

 

[goobot]

I've read that 5 times and it still doesn't make sense.

i edited it already

also i read it and started to laugh really hard

 

[oililymad]

thanks guys and girls.


as for adoptions, well i already have 3 and my apple product bill is quite large!!

i have have great hope for the ipad for my son, i hope that it will give him a helping hand, just needs some clever apps. !! i am sure they ill come soon enough.

i had a look into that mifi thing, and tbh that looks fine, he wont i hope be wanting to access the internet in lessons although he did tell me he would be cheating doing his maths work by using the calculator.!!

i also think it will be great for reading for him, especially if they can get the British reading scheme books on the book store , now that would be good!

 

[iWoz]

thanks guys and girls.


as for adoptions, well i already have 3 and my apple product bill is quite large!!

i have have great hope for the ipad for my son, i hope that it will give him a helping hand, just needs some clever apps. !! i am sure they ill come soon enough.

i had a look into that mifi thing, and tbh that looks fine, he wont i hope be wanting to access the internet in lessons although he did tell me he would be cheating doing his maths work by using the calculator.!!

i also think it will be great for reading for him, especially if they can get the British reading scheme books on the book store , now that would be good!

Let us know how you get on with pricing and timescales etc for receiving one, Im in a similar boat except mie isn't for a small kid it's for a big kid..ie... me

 

[oililymad]

i will thanks, it seems like it will be relatively easy to get one from the USA at a reduced price, lets hope apple figure this is their uk pricing..
so many options, i also can get the education discount or an nhs discount if i need to, but i syil think t will be cheaper form the states.
as for the mifi .. that look really impressive i will get one of those for the car!!

i am also hoping lots that it will be released in time for his birthday march 29th anyone heard any rumours about the exact release date yet ?

 

[limesmoothie]

I was assuming by 31st March - I get paid on the 30th so if its before then I'll be annoyed

 

[TheBritishBloke]

Firstly, I wish my mum was like you! LOL!

To be honest, it should be out before the 29th, unless apple do one of their "We promise it'll be end of March... But maybe start of April" launches.

Don't try and import it from the USA to get off Tax Free. It's illegal, and you'll be charged both VAT Import AND Customs Duty on that device. It will be cheaper in the end for you to buy it in the UK. As Said already, I guess it will be around £380 or so.

You won't get an education discount (If you're saying you'll get it under your sons name), as their terms state you have to be over 18 and in full or part time education. Secondly, Apple don't do ANY education discounts on the iPod lineup or the iPhone, so I presume it'll be the same for the iPad.

My Mum works for the NHS, she isn't eligible for any discount on the iPod lineup, so I doubt you will be sorry.

One way will be to sign up to 'Quidco' Where you can get 3% (Currently at a high of 4%) cashback from the Apple Store if bought online. So you could save another £15 or so if you go through that route (Quidco will take £5 as a yearly membership).

Also, as for the guy who slayed you, he's rather mean. It's still nice that you buy them, so long as they don't act spoilt due to having it!

The MiFi is a great option, 'Three' even has an offer on where you get a free iPod touch for a £23/Month contract! http://www.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/MiFi_plus_iPod_bundle The MiFi will be useful for your son, and you can use it too, as I believe 5 people can connect to it at once.

Hope this helps.

 

[oililymad]

thanks for the heads up re the discounts.. i didnt know that. although i do myself qualify for a further education discount.
that 3 offer looks great, we can always use a spare pod touch due to battery life!

and no my kids are not spoilt brats they just get cool stuff.. i mean what is the point is buying them crappy notebooks
i learnt my lesson after the 3rd dell died at only a year old, my macs wonderful and i wouldn't ever have anything else now why would i buy them crap?

and yes i have very good insurance ! my 14 year old has lost /dropped/washed a total of 11 iphones over the years.

 

[rogerram]

BT Fon

i will thanks, it seems like it will be relatively easy to get one from the USA at a reduced price, lets hope apple figure this is their uk pricing..
so many options, i also can get the education discount or an nhs discount if i need to, but i syil think t will be cheaper form the states.
as for the mifi .. that look really impressive i will get one of those for the car!!

i am also hoping lots that it will be released in time for his birthday march 29th anyone heard any rumours about the exact release date yet ?

Welcome.
Just to add that IF you get your broadband from BT you can access BT Fon/Openzone most places for free wifi-if you're not a BT bod you have to pay for it. Also Starbucks & others offer free wifi in the city.
I've just bought my 19month old a laptop (toy) & he loves it. I think it's great to introduce youngsters to technology early 'cos soon there will be very different ways of learning.
Me, I'm struggling to think when I might need the 3G version since I work from home & when away I have my iPhone.
I think you might be pleasantly surprised by the student discount & if you (& he) want your iPad quickly don't order Applecare from Apple 'cos you'll get into 'merge in transit' that delays European orders.
Good Luck

 

[OllyW]

Don't try and import it from the USA to get off Tax Free. It's illegal, and you'll be charged both VAT Import AND Customs Duty on that device. It will be cheaper in the end for you to buy it in the UK. As Said already, I guess it will be around £380 or so.

Not true if you are buying the iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi. It costs $499 in the US which is about £312 at the current conversion rate. The personal import allowance for goods bought in from outside the EU is £390 so you wouldn't have to pay import duty or VAT.

Travelers arriving in the UK by commercial sea or air transport from a non-EU country can now bring in up to £390 worth of goods for personal use (excluding tobacco and alcohol, which have separate allowances, and fuel) without paying customs duty or VAT. Those arriving by other means, including by private plane or boat for pleasure purposes, can bring in goods up to the value of £270.

 

[oililymad]

just a thought... you know costco sell apple stuff now... they sell ipods, macbooks not imacs but i bet they will have the ipads.. maybe not right at launch but it does save a few quid.

Not true if you are buying the iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi. It costs $499 in the US which is about £312 at the current conversion rate. The personal import allowance for goods bought in from outside the EU is £390 so you wouldn't have to pay import duty or VAT.

this is what i thought!!
i can get one posted after all
its far far cheaper. i just hope apple "get this" and price as i already said accordingly here.
wishful thinking but...

 

[TheBritishBloke]

Not true if you are buying the iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi. It costs $499 in the US which is about £312 at the current conversion rate. The personal import allowance for goods bought in from outside the EU is £390 so you wouldn't have to pay import duty or VAT.

Your legal quote stated the fact that you have to be travelling, this is NOT valid for shipping items, so you'd actually have to fly to the US, buy it, and fly back. And also it has to be a PERSONAL item which you've owned for over 12 months, and you'd have to prove this.

Don't break the law..

And you would be charged VAT @ 17.5% = £366.60
Customs Duty (Generally 8%) = £395
The Customs Handling fee which ALL carriers charge (Royal Mail, FedEx, DHL etc. generally £12.50) = £407.50

Just buy it in the UK.