Remember when you used to be able to buy a powerful desktop Mac starting at $1999?

[Irishman]

Check this out!

Buy Mac Studio

Get a new Mac Studio with M2 Max or M2 Ultra from only $166.58 per month. Select a model or customise your own. Buy now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

What Apple tax??

 

[Homy]

Last year I took screen shots of all iMac 27" prices here in Sweden (tax included). An iMac 27" with 10-core i9, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon 5700 XT 16GB VRAM, 10Gb Ethernet and keyboard and mouse costed ca $4943 with current exchange rate $1=9.93 SEK.

The base Mac Studio with 10c CPU, 32GB unified RAM, 512GB SSD, 24cGPU 32GB VRAM and 10Gb Ethernet costs today $2567. I'm sure for $2376 you can find a good monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam and speakers AND superior CPU/GPU performance.

 

[bogdanw]

What Apple tax??

Dear Irishman, check this out https://www.apple.com/ie/shop/buy-m...e-gpu-16-core-neural-engine-32gb-memory-512gb
2349 Euro
1999 USD=~1820Euro + ~440 Euro(vat) -» 2260 Euro
Apple tax = ~89Euro=~98USD

 

[Irishman]

Dear Irishman, check this out https://www.apple.com/ie/shop/buy-m...e-gpu-16-core-neural-engine-32gb-memory-512gb
2349 Euro
1999 USD=~1820Euro + ~440 Euro(vat) -» 2260 Euro
Apple tax = ~89Euro=~98USD

Ill gladly pay that tax.

Wouldn’t you?

Maybe Apple Macs aren’t for you, if not.

 

[Homy]

Dear Irishman, check this out https://www.apple.com/ie/shop/buy-m...e-gpu-16-core-neural-engine-32gb-memory-512gb
2349 Euro
1999 USD=~1820Euro + ~440 Euro(vat) -» 2260 Euro
Apple tax = ~89Euro=~98USD

You don't just pay VAT in Europe, you also pay import tax for electronics so that "Apple tax" is import tax and also includes other electronics manufacturers. It's the same for Samsung, LG and others.

 

[MarkC426]

The base Mac Studio with 10c CPU, 32GB unified RAM, 512GB SSD, 24cGPU 32GB VRAM and 10Gb Ethernet costs today $2567. I'm sure for $2376 you can find a good monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam and speakers AND superior CPU/GPU performance.

For a Mac starting at $1999, you would think it would come with a keyboard and mouse.....

 

[bogdanw]

Ill gladly pay that tax. Wouldn’t you? Maybe Apple Macs aren’t for you, if not.

Those kind of remarks enforce negative stereotypes about Mac users.

You don't just pay VAT in Europe, you also pay import tax for electronics so that "Apple tax" is import tax and also includes other electronics manufacturers. It's the same for Samsung, LG and others.

You might be right. I’m not up to date with the prices, but there used to be an equivalency: the price announced in US in Dollars was the same in Europe, but in Euro 1999$->1999€.

 

[BrianBaughn]

For a Mac starting at $1999, you would think it would come with a keyboard and mouse.....

You left out monitor, speakers, microphone, and webcam. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Irishman]

Those kind of remarks enforce negative stereotypes about Mac users.

Maybe, but if you’d let €89 keep you from enjoying one of these new Mac Studios, there are other negative stereotypes that may reinforce:

“The Apple Tax” to which I was referring was more commonly used to refer to the broad concept that you’ll easily pay anywhere from 1.5x to 2x more than you would for a similarity equipped PC. The difference that you’ve presented here is closer to what you pay as an actual sales tax/VAT tax.

This new Mac Studio easily destroys the Apple Tax argument, in my view.

 

[powerless]

You left out monitor, speakers, microphone, and webcam. 🤷‍♂️

Studio Display got you covered there

 

[Jorbanead]

Dear Irishman, check this out https://www.apple.com/ie/shop/buy-m...e-gpu-16-core-neural-engine-32gb-memory-512gb
2349 Euro
1999 USD=~1820Euro + ~440 Euro(vat) -» 2260 Euro
Apple tax = ~89Euro=~98USD

Are those taxes Apple created and put on to the price? Or are those other taxes Apple has no control over?

 

[ravinder08]

I remember and the year was also 1999

 

[MarkC426]

Just curious, with all the 'extended delivery dates'.
Do you get charged when the item ships or at order....?

 

[bobcomer]

Just curious, with all the 'extended delivery dates'.
Do you get charged when the item ships or at order....?

Ships (well maybe when they are boxing it up to be shipped.)

 

[MarkC426]

Just checked a BTO Mac Studio.....10-12 weeks delivery....

 

[Homy]

You might be right. I’m not up to date with the prices, but there used to be an equivalency: the price announced in US in Dollars was the same in Europe, but in Euro 1999$->1999€.

Yes, but now Mac Studio costs €2396 in Sweden. In Netherlands with Euro as their currency it costs €2329.

 

[MarkC426]

Just noticed there is NO Kensington lock slot....
A $4000+ Mac that is easy to pick up and take....🤨

 

[BrianBaughn]

Just noticed there is NO Kensington lock slot....
A $4000+ Mac that is easy to pick up and take....🤨

I expect someone will come up with a nice-looking $199 cage for it…or is that too cheap?

 

[Boil]

Just noticed there is NO Kensington lock slot....
A $4000+ Mac that is easy to pick up and take....🤨

Unsure if that is a Kensington lock slot, or just a hole used to open the chassis...?

 

[th0masp]

Unsure if that is a Kensington lock slot, or just a hole used to open the chassis...?

There's nothing user-serviceable in there AFAIK so best guess it is indeed the former.

 

[Homy]

Something similar will come:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1421524-REG/maclocks_mmen76_mac_mini_mount.html

 

[MarkC426]

Dug this out of my Archives.....
In 2003 a Dual 1ghz G4 Powermac £1999 inc vat approx.

 

[leman]

You might be right. I’m not up to date with the prices, but there used to be an equivalency: the price announced in US in Dollars was the same in Europe, but in Euro 1999$->1999€.

That was when euro was way stronger against the dollar than today.

Yes, but now Mac Studio costs €2396 in Sweden. In Netherlands with Euro as their currency it costs €2329.

VAT in Sweden is 25%, in Netherlands it’s 21%. There might be other tax factors.

 

[StuAff]

Dug this out of my Archives.....
In 2003 a Dual 1ghz G4 Powermac £1999 inc vat approx.

View attachment 1972744

I had a dual gig, and it was £1749 with a 32MB GeForce 4MX the previous October.

 

[Homy]

VAT in Sweden is 25%, in Netherlands it’s 21%. There might be other tax factors.

I wasn't comparing the Swedish and Dutch prices. I was simply stating the fact that the good old days when Apple prices were the same in the US and Europe are long gone.