Whenever a shiny new gadget comes out, we ask the question: does it carry the Australia Tax? Some Aussie economists wondered the same thing, and have charted how expensive the iPad Air 2 is around the world in something they’re calling “The iPad Index”. Believe it or not, it’s cheaper than ever to buy it locally.
Some economists from CommSec got together and did a bit of maths this week to find out, of the 46 nations where the iPad Air 2 is currently available, which is the cheapest.
Seeing as how the iPad is made by an American company, CommSec converted the prices into $US as a benchmark to figure out exactly what Apple prices the unit at around the world.
In the US, for example, the iPad Air 2 (16GB, Wi-Fi model) costs $US540.17. In Australia, it’s actually cheaper at just $US536.30. That’s awesome considering we’re usually gouged for our gadgets.
Australia is the 8th cheapest place in the world to buy an iPad Air 2, while the US is 10th cheapest in the world. Despite the fact that the US price is the benchmark for the index and Australia is cheaper, there are even cheaper countries in which to buy an iPad.
The cheapest place to buy one is in Japan, provided you can manage to find one without tax. If you’re able to, you can get the gadget for $US456.19. The cheapest place to buy one inclusive of tax is Malaysia at $US477.23.
The most expensive place in the world to buy an iPad Air 2 is in Guatemala, where the gadget retails for $707.58. Ouch.
Here’s the full index from CommSec.