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USA iMac or UK iMac?

I

ibizarocks

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 2, 2007
198
7
Hey guys, my boss kindly wants to get me an iMac 24" for work. He's going to America next week to Miami and NYC so I said get one while you're over there because of the £ to $ exchange rate. My question is however, what are the main differences between a UK and USA iMac and if I get the iMac is from USA will there be any problems I may encounter further down the line that I won't have thought of?

Thanks guys
 
it is better to get it form uk for repairs and support stuff.

the only difference, other than that, between uk and us is the price.
 
isn't the apple warranty worldwide though??? surely I'd get the same treatment as a UK buyer??
 
I think Apple will honor repairs world-wide, as long as its still under warranty. You can get the Apple Care thing to extend the warranty to 3 years.

Edit: Sorry ibizarocks, you beat me :D
 
what about voltage settings though for the UK??? do I have to change anything on the iMac so it deals with the 220-240v?
 
Only difference will be the price and keyboard. You'll get our American keybaord that has the @ sign in the right place ;)

Otherwise voltage and power issues are nothing to worry about. Oh, but yeah you'll need a plug converter. You Brits with those huge plugs, ridiculous!
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Only difference will be the price and keyboard. You'll get our American keybaord that has the @ sign in the right place ;)

Otherwise voltage and power issues are nothing to worry about. Oh, but yeah you'll need a plug converter. You Brits with those huge plugs, ridiculous!
Click to expand...

But our plugs are Earthed, not like the yanks.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Only difference will be the price and keyboard. You'll get our American keybaord that has the @ sign in the right place ;)

Otherwise voltage and power issues are nothing to worry about. Oh, but yeah you'll need a plug converter. You Brits with those huge plugs, ridiculous!
Click to expand...

yeh no offence but i'd rather have an earthed plug!!! I'm scared of your sockets over there! :)
 
If it's for work, can't he claim back VAT and depreciate it on his accounts? Not going to be able to do that with a US purchased one - where you'll end up paying sales tax.

A 24" iMac weighs a lot. Unless he's not taking much other luggage, he's likely to get stung with excess baggage charges and might have to pay duty on it when it comes into the UK since it's going to be pretty visible on the baggage trolley going through the Green Channel!

Portables for your own use can be worth bringing in but that size of iMac is nuts.
 
compuguy1088 said:
US 110 is earthed!

I checked on Wikipedia, and it says that US 110 is earthed. It just isn't mandatory. Many products use grounding 3-prong plugs (like my macbook pro, when using the extender cord).
Click to expand...

Yeah, well UK plugs are 240 volts (higher number always equals better... right?)

Also, ours don't fall out of the socket whenever there's a draft!

UK plugs FTW!
 
i like this plug debate, curry on people. :D

my country uses the same ones as in the UK, so i will vote for UK.
 
Remember - if your boss gets caught in the airport, he'll have to pay import tax.

There's no real way to avoid this with an iMAc (as you can't claim you took it with you :p)

I was considering doing this, but bought from the UK. There are lots of topics around discussing the pros and cons. One thing that makes the US prices look less is that there's no (5% - am I right?) tax included in the shown price, whereas here in the UK the 17.5% is already included in the price.
 
European (not uk) plugs are the best :p imo. Is the difference between the UK imac and US imac in terms of money so big?
 
1. US keyboard, No £ sign. different shaped enter key.
2. 2 Pin power cable, can be changed for a UK one
3. International warranty, doesn't matter where the mac is purchased
4. USA iMac is a lot cheaper, even when you add 17.5% VAT which might be added.
5. I don't think the voltage makes a difference, i am sure the iMac can auto switch (i know iPhone chargers can!)
6. The cheapest place in the world to get Apple stuff is Hong Kong!
 
Tom B. said:
Yeah, well UK plugs are 240 volts (higher number always equals better... right?)

Also, ours don't fall out of the socket whenever there's a draft!

UK plugs FTW!
Click to expand...

ha ha, who needs MagSafe if the US plugs pop out of the wall so easily!!
 
Also, ours don't fall out of the socket whenever there's a draft!

Very good for safety though. If you stumble over the cord your iMac will not hit you in your head. I vote for American Cord.
 
Ironduke said:
yeeehaa and the dollar is getting its ass kicked by the pound too!

who's up for retaking the colony's;)
Click to expand...

Relax people. It would be a painful move to convert the present power grid up to what the UK and europe have in the first place. The us power grid is old, but it is still working (though it does need to be upgraded sooner than later).

MrT8064 said:
ha ha, who needs MagSafe if the US plugs pop out of the wall so easily!!
Click to expand...

Depends on the outlet. Some are a pain to get the plug out, while some are very loose.
 
well I've actually looked at the exchange rate and what he'll save and on the base 24" model it's only approx£250 which is jack really so there's not much point now I don't think.

does anyone think the 2.8ghz is pound for pound worth it over the 2.4ghz model??? mac will be used for flyer design / photo editing / poster design and in the near feature flash design.

thanks
 
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