New iPod's European vs. US pricing, and more.

[Bengt77]

Hi,

Now that my 3G iPod's battery is beginning to show it's age, I think it's time to buy a new iPod. Of course, I could replace the battery, but the new models have so much advantages (one being the battery... big time) that I think it's better to just replace the unit altogether.

Now there's the pricing issue. In Europe, the new 60GB model costs 439 euros. In the US, that very same model costs 399 dollars. When you compare and convert those prices, it turns out that the iPod is more than 100 euros cheaper in the US than in Europe. That means that the 60GB iPod in the US costs the same as the 30GB iPod over here. A bit weird, isn't it?

Now, the situation is that a friend of mine is in the US right now and asked me if she had to buy some stuff for me, since it's all way cheaper there. Very attractive offer, but a few questions:

1 Does the new iPod charge over FireWire? I ask, because the European wall outlets are different than the US ones, so a US AC-adapter will be useless over here, but I still have my FireWire 3G iPod's adapter.
2 Can a US model handle the European standard of 230V instead of the US standard of 110V?
3 Will I have warranty over here? If I have a receipt from a US Apple Store, will that be good enough when I have to FedEx the iPod in case it breaks?
4 This question has nothing to do with this whole Europe/US thing, but I would really like to know the answer. Do the new iPods sync over FireWire or are all iPods USB2.0-only now? Would be a shame, since my iMac G4 has USB1.1 only, whereas it does have FireWire. My girfriend's iBook does have USB2.0 and all my music is on an external hard drive, so no worries there, but it would still be very nice if it does still sync over FireWire.

Can anyone answer those questions for me? Thanks! I'm really liking the new iPods a lot...

 

[Nickygoat]

Hi,

Now that my 3G iPod's battery is beginning to show it's age, I think it's time to buy a new iPod. Of course, I could replace the battery, but the new models have so much advantages (one being the battery... big time) that I think it's better to just replace the unit altogether.

Now there's the pricing issue. In Europe, the new 60GB model costs 439 euros. In the US, that very same model costs 399 dollars. When you compare and convert those prices, it turns out that the iPod is more than 100 euros cheaper in the US than in Europe. That means that the 60GB iPod in the US costs the same as the 30GB iPod over here. A bit weird, isn't it?

Now, the situation is that a friend of mine is in the US right now and asked me if she had to buy some stuff for me, since it's all way cheaper there. Very attractive offer, but a few questions:

1 Does the new iPod charge over FireWire? I ask, because the European wall outlets are different than the US ones, so a US AC-adapter will be useless over here, but I still have my FireWire 3G iPod's adapter.
2 Can a US model handle the European standard of 230V instead of the US standard of 110V?
3 Will I have warranty over here? If I have a receipt from a US Apple Store, will that be good enough when I have to FedEx the iPod in case it breaks?
4 This question has nothing to do with this whole Europe/US thing, but I would really like to know the answer. Do the new iPods sync over FireWire or are all iPods USB2.0-only now? Would be a shame, since my iMac G4 has USB1.1 only, whereas it does have FireWire. My girfriend's iBook does have USB2.0 and all my music is on an external hard drive, so no worries there, but it would still be very nice if it does still sync over FireWire.

Can anyone answer those questions for me? Thanks! I'm really liking the new iPods a lot...

I see the Euro price as 429 not 439. Are you not eligible for a student discount?
Don't forget that the US price doesn't include Sales Tax, which varies depending which State you're in (NYC is 8% IIRC), which will bump the price.
To answer 1 & 4 I think the new iPods don't support Firewire at all. There's a load of threads on this issue.
Nor do I think the warranty is valid in Europe, but don't quote me

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Nor do I think the warranty is valid in Europe, but don't quote me

I think I'm right in saying that Apple's portable kit (ie, laptops and iPods) have a worldwide warranty so you should be alright. It's desktops that you can come unstuck with because their warranty is usually only valid in the country of purchase.

 

[Nickygoat]

I think I'm right in saying that Apple's portable kit (ie, laptops and iPods) have a worldwide warranty so you should be alright. It's desktops that you can come unstuck with because their warranty is usually only valid in the country of purchase.

That's why I said don't quote me
I know about AppleCare for the laptops. It specifically states on the page for AppleCare that it is available worldwide on iBooks & PowerBooks but doesn't say so anywhere on the iPod page. Or am I missing it?

 

[kbbk]

It Works!

I just had my US bought Ibook repaired under warranty at an Apple authorized retailer in Germany. Also, all (as far as I know) Apple products are dual voltage and simply require an adapter for the outlets overseas. I have had no problems using my Imac and Ibook overseas. Also, the keyboard layout function is so easy to use when needing special symbols like ö,ü,ß, etc.

 

[mad jew]

Also, all (as far as I know) Apple products are dual voltage and simply require an adapter for the outlets overseas.

Just for the record, the Rev. A iMac G5s aren't dual voltage.

 

[Bear]

iPod power adapters are universal voltage like the PowerBook adapters. And they take the same outlet adapters.

(The same is true for the AirPort Express as well.)