How Much Will Aussies Pay For Apple’s New Gadgets Compared To The US?

Apple announced a shedload of new gadgets this morning, from new iPad models through to the Mac Pro and new MacBook Pros. Here’s how much Aussies will pay compared to the US. The Australia Tax lives…

iPad Air

The iPad Air is the next-generation of iPad: thinner, lighter and more powerful. It’s also kind of pricey.

People in the US will pay $US499 for the base model 16GB + Wi-Fi iPad Air, while Aussies will shill out $598 for the same device. That means Australians are paying an extra $33 for the new iPad after currency conversion and the obligatory 10 per cent tax that the US don’t have to advertise.

Jumping up to the 128GB Cellular + Wi-Fi model and you notice that the US pays $US929, while Aussies pay $1049. After taxes and currency conversion, Australian residents actually save money. A whole $3 on our American counterparts.

Check out the pricing for the other models below.

AU Pricing:

US Pricing:

iPad Mini

The new iPad Mini packs in all that’s great about the iPad Air in a smaller form factor. The Retina display, A7 processor, longer battery and a more svelte construction.

Our Ameri-friends will be paying $US399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, while Australians will be saddled with $479 when it comes out here in November. That makes the Australian model $27 more expensive after tax and currency conversion, which isn’t half bad at all.

Jump up to the top end of the models, and you’ll find the US paying $US829 for the 128GB model with Cellular + Wi-Fi. Australians pay $949 for the same model, but it’s only $11 more expensive after currency conversions and 10 per cent tax.

Check out these charts for more.

AU Pricing:

US Pricing:

Mac Pro

This one hurts the most: Lifehacker in some early maths found the Mac Pro has a $600 mark-up.

Angus Kidman writes:

US pricing for the Mac Pro starts from $2999. Converted to Australian dollars, that comes in around $3090.48 right now. Add the 10 per cent GST and you’d see a price of $3399.53. We’d have expected that to round up by as much as another $100. However, the starting price in Australia is $3999. That’s a rort. There’s no possible excuse for it.

Too right.

MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro finally got a well-deserved update to the new Intel 4th-Generation Core processors — codenamed Haswell — this morning, as well as healthy spec bumps in other areas, too.

Here’s how much you’ll pay for the new models in Australia.

The base-model 13-inch MacBook Pro (the one without a Retina display) is packing a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz), 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and a 7-hour battery life time. That model will set you back $1349 in Australia, compared to $US1199 in the US. Convert that to Australian pricing and you’re paying $1235 before tax, which is normally an extra 10 per cent. That means you actually lose money importing one, given that you’ll be paying roughly $1358 if you import it from the US, plus the cost of a power cable.

The entry-level MacBook Pro with Retina Display in Australia comes loaded with a 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz), 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Intel Iris Graphics and a 9-hour battery life time. That model runs you $1599 in Australia, or $US1299 overseas. That means after currency conversion and taxes, the US model is still slightly cheaper, at $1471 — a $128 saving. You’ve got to decide, however, if that $128 is worth waiting the lead time for shipping, and factor in the cost of said international handling whatever that may be.

Jumping ahead to the top of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display line, and you get the new supermodel. Under the hood is a crazy 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost to 3.5GHz), 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Pro graphics with a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M discrete graphics card and an 8-hour battery life time. That one will run you $3199 in Australia, or $US2599 in the US. This one hurts a bit, because that means after currency conversion and taxes, the US model is much cheaper, at $2945 — a $654 saving. The Australia Tax lives.

There are a few other MacBook models. You can check out the Australian pricing here and the US pricing here.

Other Stuff

It’s worth pointing out that no matter where you live, OS X Mavericks — the latest update to the OS X platform — will be freeeee.

Apple is also making iLife and iWork free with the purchase of any MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro or iOS device.

Cover image via Shutterstock


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.