Member discounts?

[Balliol1974]

I'm in the process of attempting to persuade myself to buy what at the moment is an over priced a 27" iMac.
Two questions.
1. Does Member Discounts touch this machine?
2. I have been in the country for a week and may have missed any news of replacement models and possible price reductions of existing ones. Was there any such news?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

There was no update on the iMac at Apple's more recent event. Prevailing rumors indicate an update next year. If the price of the 27" iMac doesn't work for your budget, then look at the Apple Refurbished store to see if one will match your need/budget.

As far as discounts go, the refurbished store has some and then there's the student discounts which are likely for new purchases only. Finally, some companies have discounts for purchasing things from a local store that might apply.

 

[Balliol1974]

There was no update on the iMac at Apple's more recent event. Prevailing rumors indicate an update next year. If the price of the 27" iMac doesn't work for your budget, then look at the Apple Refurbished store to see if one will match your need/budget.

As far as discounts go, the refurbished store has some and then there's the student discounts which are likely for new purchases only. Finally, some companies have discounts for purchasing things from a local store that might apply.

Many thanks for your answer. I note a number of rumours on the Internet that suggest that Apple have been following the behaviour of our local petrol stations by blaming Brexit and sticking their prices up. Is there any definitive news on this?

 

[pigoo3]

I'm in the process of attempting to persuade myself to buy what at the moment is an over priced a 27" iMac.

Many thanks for your answer. I note a number of rumours on the Internet that suggest that Apple have been following the behaviour of our local petrol stations by blaming Brexit and sticking their prices up. Is there any definitive news on this?

The price of Apple computers in the UK has gone up. This is due to the falling exchange rate of the British Pound versus other currencies. This is very likely due to the Brexit decision by a majority vote of the UK citizens.

Thus the price of an Apple 27" iMac is not over-priced. It's exactly where it should be (due to changes in the British Pound exchange rate).

This is unfortunate. Hopefully there will be positive benefits of Brexit that will help balance things out.

- Nick

 

[KevinJS]

I was doing some calculating last night based on the current exchange rate. The new MBP, that retails in the US for $2799, works out to be $59 cheaper in the U.K.

An iPad Pro has even more of a saving for the Brits. $85 for the 12.9" 256Gb model.

Didn't look at the iMac but I assume there will be a similar differential.

 

[Balliol1974]

Freddy Ayer suggested in his book, “Language Truth and Logic” that logic had little to do with truth and supported that view by suggesting that, “the statements of logic and mathematics are tautologies or in other words, meaningless. Your reply was beautifully logical but not necessarily valid so, Apple, drop your prices!

 

[KevinJS]

Freddy Ayer suggested in his book, “Language Truth and Logic” that logic had little to do with truth and supported that view by suggesting that, “the statements of logic and mathematics are tautologies or in other words, meaningless. Your reply was beautifully logical but not necessarily valid so, Apple, drop your prices!

Well, thank you. In future I'll keep my invalid, though mathematically correct, opinions to myself.

 

[pigoo3]

Your reply was beautifully logical but not necessarily valid so, Apple, drop your prices!

Not exactly sure whom you were replying to. But the bottom line is...the price increases are due to the falling value of the British pound...which almost surely is due to the Brexit result.

If you want to focus some anger or displeasure somewhere...focus that anger on the UK politicians who initiated the Brexit idea...and maybe even more...on the UK citizens who voted for Brexit. If Brexit never happened...the British Pound would very likely not be dropping in value...and the prices for Apple computers (as well as other products in the UK) would not be changing the way they are.

This is very very unfortunate & frustrating. But it's not Apple's fault...or any other company that is raising it's prices in the UK.

As I mentioned above. Brexit must have solid positives. Which is why a majority of UK citizens voted for Brexit. Hopefully these positives will balance things out.

- Nick

 

[KevinJS]

I assumed that since no member was mentioned by name, @Balliol1974 was referring to the last post in the thread.

Anybody who knows me could tell you, @pigoo3, that I am incapable of keeping my opinions to myself, so my response may be taking as light-hearted banter. (I don't pepper my posts with smileys to defuse them. I consider forum members to be adults who don't need wrapping in cotton wool.)

The 20% VAT applied by the British government also has a lot to do with it, 20% of it, to be exact (in my opinion, of course)

Spot Brexit on this graph.

 

[Balliol1974]

I assumed that since no member was mentioned by name, @Balliol1974 was referring to the last post in the thread.

Anybody who knows me could tell you, @pigoo3, that I am incapable of keeping my opinions to myself, so my response may be taking as light-hearted banter. (I don't pepper my posts with smileys to defuse them. I consider forum members to be adults who don't need wrapping in cotton wool.)

The 20% VAT applied by the British government also has a lot to do with it, 20% of it, to be exact (in my opinion, of course)

Spot Brexit on this graph.

View attachment 25245

I suspect that most of the Brexit side were moved by emotion and resentment at being governed from the continent but Kevin JS has thrown me a life line in the form of the 20% VAT. Logically if we are not in the Common Market the British Government can dump it thereby reducing prices all round. Well, at least we can wish. I'm off to Oxford during the week to look at the 27" iMac and I wonder how truthful the sales staff at the outlet I'm visiting will answer my question, "How much has this machine gone up last week?

 

[pigoo3]

I suspect that most of the Brexit side were moved by emotion and resentment at being governed from the continent...

VERY definitely. Everyone likes their independance. But this has never stopped the government of one's own country from making VERY unpopular decisions either. I'm very sure the European Union has both it's plus's and minus's...just like everything in life.

...but Kevin JS has thrown me a life line in the form of the 20% VAT. Logically if we are not in the Common Market the British Government can dump it thereby reducing prices all round. Well, at least we can wish. I'm off to Oxford during the week to look at the 27" iMac and I wonder how truthful the sales staff at the outlet I'm visiting will answer my question, "How much has this machine gone up last week?

Of course there's the VAT. Very doubful the British government is going to lower the VAT to help offset the increase in prices from outside the UK.

As far as going to the Oxford Apple Store to hassle the store employee's. What exactly do you expect from them? They weren't in charge of Brexit. They aren't responsible for the drop in value of the British Pound. They aren't responsible for the increase in Apple computer prices. The just work at the Apple Store!

If you want to know how much the price of a 27" iMac has gone up since last week...do some internet searching:

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ustomers-prices-rise-us-dollar-pound-sterling

- Nick

 

[Balliol1974]

VERY definitely. Everyone likes their independance. But this has never stopped the government of one's own country from making VERY unpopular decisions either. I'm very sure the European Union has both it's plus's and minus's...just like everything in life.



Of course there's the VAT. Very doubful the British government is going to lower the VAT to help offset the increase in prices from outside the UK.

As far as going to the Oxford Apple Store to hassle the store employee's. What exactly do you expect from them? They weren't in charge of Brexit. They aren't responsible for the drop in value of the British Pound. They aren't responsible for the increase in Apple computer prices. The just work at the Apple Store!

If you want to know how much the price of a 27" iMac has gone up since last week...do some internet searching:

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ustomers-prices-rise-us-dollar-pound-sterling

- Nick

I may not have made myself clear. All I said was, “I wonder how truthful the sales staff at the outlet I'm visiting will answer my question, "How much has this machine gone up last week?” I would expect them to be embarrassed and feel embarrassed for them. I have worked on the shop floor so would never harass staff.
Your https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...pound-sterling was not very supportive of the views you propound, I quote below.

“Apple just quietly raised the prices of every single computer in its line.”
“If you’re a Mac user, everything just got a lot more expensive. Apple used the cover of introducing three new MacBook Pros at its latest event to quietly raise the prices of every single computer in its line.”

“While the new laptops introduced on 27 October are significantly more expensive than the ones they are replacing, even machines that have seen no change at all have had their prices raised, in some cases by many hundreds of pounds.”

“Customers picking up those new computers can also expect to be hit with a barrage of further expenses, thanks to the controversial design decisions Apple made in the production process. The machines only include Thunderbolt 3 ports, a new standard which uses the USB-C connector.”

“Apple just quietly raised the prices of every single computer in its line. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images”

“If you’re a Mac user, everything just got a lot more expensive. Apple used the cover of introducing three new MacBook Pros at its latest event to quietly raise the prices of every single computer in its line.”

In the UK we have had to accept the way that Petrol suppliers play the market with the skill of Paderewski bumping the price up as soon as the slightest excuse allows them to but we have to have petrol, we don’t have to buy new Apple computers so I suggest that Apple Marketing gets its act together.

I am old enough to have lived through the Second World War so I just keyed into the Internet what the American Dollar was worth in 1945, what a beautiful sight!

 

[KevinJS]

At a guess, @balliol1974, the GBP was worth around USD5 at the time of WW2. Things were a whole lot different then, and Britain had half the world contributing to its economy.

With VAT thrown in, sterling is effectively at parity with the USD, and things are likely to get worse.

I seem to remember cautioning another British member who was asking whether to buy an iMac now, or whether to wait, that prices would likely rise. The graph I supplied shows that price rises were inevitable, with a drop in rates from $1.50 to $1.20. There's more info that the graph does not show. S&P are quite confident that the GBP will lose its status as a reserve currency, resulting in more, possibly catastrophic, weakness. Long term projections from one analyst see the pound at 0.59 (yes, 59 cents) in 8 years time.

 

[pigoo3]

I may not have made myself clear. All I said was, “I wonder how truthful the sales staff at the outlet I'm visiting will answer my question, "How much has this machine gone up last week?” I would expect them to be embarrassed and feel embarrassed for them. I have worked on the shop floor so would never harass staff.

You will probably be the 10,000th person to badger them about the price increases. I'm sure they're VERY tired of the topic. The end result will still be the same. The price of a 27" iMac in the UK will remain the same regardless of what the Apple Store employees say.

Your https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...pound-sterling was not very supportive of the views you propound, I quote below.

The bottom line is very simple, The British Pound Sterling has lost value...and companies need to adjust prices accordingly. I'm 100% sure other companies are doing the same in the UK (you already mentioned another example).

Take the emotion out of the equation...and deal with the facts. If I could get an exchange rate of $1.55/pound sterling before Brexit...and now I can only get $1.22/pound sterling after Brexit...something has got to change (the cost of goods & services).

Let me put it another way. If I had $10,000 dollars US...and exchanged them for British pound sterling:

- 6 months ago: I would have gotten approximately 6,451.61 pounds sterling.
- Yesterday: I would have gotten approximately 8196.7 pounds sterling.

Do you see how the British pound has gotten devalued post-Brexit? That's an approximate 27% difference!!! No company can continue to sell their products at the same price...if the currency in a country has changed in value by 27%!

I am old enough to have lived through the Second World War so I just keyed into the Internet what the American Dollar was worth in 1945, what a beautiful sight!

Awesome! You have a lifetime of experiences (and wisdom) to have seen much much worse than dealing with a price increase of a 27" Apple iMac. If I ever had the chance to sit down with you...I would love to hear some of the stories & experiences you had during the years!

I'm sure you're a very intelligent person...and clearly understand when a countries currently drops in value like it has...the prices of good & services cannot remain the same.

If the price of a brand new 27" iMac has changed so much that you find the thought of purchasing it unacceptable...then don't purchase it. Purchase a used iMac from someone locally.

I haven't purchased a brand new Apple computer since about 1995 (21 years). Computers depreciate in value way too quickly for my liking. And I decided 21 years ago (after purchasing new Apple computer's for about the previous 10 years before that (1985/1986)...that I was done with spending thousands & thousands of dollars on brand new computers. When I could purchase a 2-3 year old Apple computer for 50-60% of it's original price...and have it do everything I needed it to do just fine!!!

Good luck with your next Apple computer puchase,

- Nick