US vs UK MacBook Pro Purchase

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Hi - being Scottish and therefore in dire need of some decent weather, we're planning a vacation in LA next month and at the same time, are considering replacing a stolen MacBook with a Pro version whilst in California.

Having checked online prices for the 15-inch 2.2 GHZ Sandy Bridge flavor, it appears that we could save over 500 GBP (that's roughly 830 bucks - shocking, I know) by making a purchase stateside. For the record the prices in USD are as follows: $2,199 vs $3,029.

My question is this: are there any downsides to owning a machine that is built for the US market but used exclusively in the UK? I'm expecting there will be voltage issues and sales tax implications amongst others so would much appreciate your input and/or solutions - thanks.
 
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THere will be no voltage issues, all modern macs come with a switchable power supply that detects the voltage and adapts accordingly. All you need is a US to UK plug adaptor, or you could buy a new UK adaptor off ebay - they are pretty cheap (,ake sure its an 80 watt type)

As for VAT, simply unpackage the mac and bring it back in your hand luggage, after all is a gift to yourself and not a business import for resale in the uk
 
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Just remember that the UK website includes vat, whilst the US site does not include state sates tax ;) ... and I think LA is around 8%
 
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Just remember that the UK website includes vat, whilst the US site does not include state sates tax ;) ... and I think LA is around 8%

Actually, the Apple US Online Store does include state sales tax if Apple has a presence in that state ( which is most states in the US).

Mark
 
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that's strange because I just paid U$531 for an 16 gig iPad 2 listed as U$499 on the website ... and I bought it in Orlando (where Apple has a massive presence) ;)
 
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Actually, the Apple US Online Store does include state sales tax if Apple has a presence in that state ( which is most states in the US).

Mark
Sales tax is only calculated at sale in the US. Mostly because it IS location based. This varies from VAT, where it's part of the posted price.

What this means, is that people who aren't used to sales tax need to be prepared for the price to go up at the point of sale (online or retail store)
 
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Thanks for all your responses and for clarifying the position on VAT vs Sales Tax.
 

chscag

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Not a problem. The superdrive will play either and the region can be set up to 5 times.
 
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Oh, actually, in all seriousness; you might need to change the localisation settings on AirPort if it doesn't auto-detect that it's receiving signals from British WiFi networks, but that's the only semi-significant issue I can think of...
 

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