Buying a Macbook Pro in the US

vodkashot

I have the opportunity of buying a macbook pro in the US with an educational discount.

I know about the possible duty at customs when coming back to the UK and I believe Apple care is worldwide (although I could be wrong). Does anyone know of any other reason not to buy it in the US though as it seems quite a decent saving can be made.

Thanks for any info.

noddy1792

I have a macbook and was after the same answers a while ago!

1.Apple care is linked to the product, not the person/shop, so you can take it anywhere in the world (I was told this in store).

2.The power cable will be different (It'll be the standard US 2-pin)

3. You may get hit with import duties but if you leave packaging behind, you may be fine!

4.You can get the educational discount in the UK too!

Plus, if you can, wait til September time in the UK because they'll give you a free 8gb Ipod Touch.

This is all the info I was given.
Hope it in some way helps!

almillar

As above, but the £ key won't be on the keyboard (and possibly other layout issues) but you'll still be able to type it somehow. The charger is the same, just the wire going from the charger to the wall is different because of the different plugs.
Applecare is worldwide.
Throw the box away, put the computer into a laptop bag and throw it over your shoulder.
It may not be as cheap as you think though, remember that US prices are quoted excluding tax (which is different in different states), whereas UK prices include VAT. Factor in the risk of customs, plus the hassles above, and decide whether it's worth it.

Leopard

Don't forget that VAT may very well rise to 22.5% after the General Election. Apple has just refreshed and speed-bumped the ProBook range. Buy now!

The keyboard's not a user issue: just has a # instead of a £ engraved on the (backlit) "3" key itself (but it's an obvious giveaway). The plugs thing is no problem at all. The charger has a slide-in adaptor; you can simply buy a slide-in UK 3-pin plug and/or a slide-in long lead with a UK plug on the end - both from Apple UK. Neither is expensive.

I know somebody who took a new UK keyboard with him to America, bought a ProBook there, swapped the two keyboards in his hotel room and then mailed home the US keyboard, by surface post, inside the ProBook's box. Not, of course, that I condone it. :cool:

Bear in mind that its Serial Number will always betray where it was sold. So it's unwise to lie about its provenance.

Remember, when buying, that the 15" ProBook now no longer has an ExpressCard port: Apple has downgraded it to an SD card slot :mad: . Only the 17" ProBook still has an ExpressCard port - but that one is only sold with a 2.53 GHz i5 processor, whereas the 15" can be specified with a 2.66 GHz i7.

UK specs and prices are here. US specs and prices are here. US Sales Tax rates (by state) are here.

Today's $/£ exchange rate is 1.54.

Marty_J

Leopard wrote: »

Only the 17" ProBook still has an ExpressCard port - but that one is only sold with a 2.53 GHz i5 processor, whereas the 15" can be specified with a 2.66 GHz i7.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - it's a build to order option.

googler

noddy1792 wrote: »

2.The power cable will be different (It'll be the standard US 2-pin)

Not just the cable! You'll need a 240v adpator instead of the 110v that'll be supplied with the US model.......

Don't even THINK of just snipping off the 2-pin plug and connecting a UK 3-pin......

timbim_2

Are the apple transformers not auto sensing 110/240V ones? My dell transformer is.

Leopard

Quite correct Marty J,

But I'd sort of assumed, from the general tenor of the OP, that this would be an over-the-counter transaction rather than a built-to-order, wait-for-it transaction.

Perhaps I'm wrong, though?


Have you noticed, by the way, that Apple has upped the price for a proper (matte "anti-glare") display on the new 15" ProBook from £40 to £120 ? :mad:

Mind you, they justify it by it being high-res and the cost of a glossy high-res is £80, so that difference is still £40.

Nevertheless, if you want a matte screen instead of the standard (i.e. glossy mirror) display, you have to fork out an extra £120.

When I did a trial, pre-purchase, online configuration for a decent i7 15" it came out just shy of £2,000 – with only 4 GB of RAM. Add a Magic Mouse and it's comfortably (uncomfortably?) over that.

A 256 GB SSD adds £480 and a 512 GB SSD adds £1,000.

Oh yes, and doubling the RAM to 8 GB adds £320, needless to say!

A 15" laptop for £3,500 – that's going back to last century's prices.


For a laptop that costs £3,500 you still get only an SD card slot.

The very least they could do is make an ExpressCard port a specifiable option. :mad:

No way am I ever going to buy a 15" ProBook that hasn't got an ExpressCard port. I'm increasingly starting to worry that I may be heading towards a parting of the ways with Apple, after two decades.

By the way, did you pick up on the link for you I put in the "iPad for Aged Mums" thread? Here it is again, if you missed it. (I fear the porkers may not be Razorbacks, though.)




timbim,

Of course they are! He's a fool.

timbim_2

Leopard

Out of interest, what makes the express card slot such an important feature to you? I've only seen one use for the apple express card slot, although that may well be wholly due to a lack of trying. I rarely if ever use the card slot on my dell, I suppose with express cards becoming rarer, it's better for most manufacturers to sell only USB versions of the same thing (card readers, wifi dongles etc) so as to hit the whole market, as opposed to only those who have express card slots, or indeed the subset of those who know what it is!

googler

timbim wrote: »

Are the apple transformers not auto sensing 110/240V ones? My dell transformer is.

If they are, then my comment is redundant; but I don't have one, so couldn't say for certain.

hopefulfooluk

googler wrote: »

If they are, then my comment is redundant; but I don't have one, so couldn't say for certain.

They are autosensing - I had to buy one in San Francisco when BA conveniently lost my baggage going over to RSA a couple of years ago (after the fun of being diverted to Shannon after a plane fault!) and it works fine on my UK macbook with a UK plug on it instead of the 2 pin.

I wouldn't buy one there personally - the lack of the £ would do my head in (the lack of the hash key is bad enough!)