Buying Mac Book Pro in the US

mfield

I'm taking the plunge and getting a Mac Book Pro, I have a mate in the states and he is going to pick me up one.

The problem I have is that I was going to get the 15-inch: 2.4GHz model and add the Hi-Res Anti-Glare Display but they don't have them in the store.

Am I missing much by not getting this?

They have this on the 15-inch: 2.4GHz model, but that is a little out of my budget.

Also, do I need to buy an adapter for the power unit?


Any help would be great!

thecommander

Check any stores nearby, some cities have a few. Might have in stock

A regular figure of 8 cable will do

barryj

Be aware that the keyboard layout of US models is slightly different - you may or may not find it a problem.

I've lived with the glossy version for the last couple of years and it's not bothered me too much - though I think if I had the choice i'd pick the matt, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker unless you need to use it outside much.

Also, if you declare the machine coming through customs or get caught not declaring, it'll likely cost you more than it would have here.

- barry

Funky G

mfield wrote: »

I'm taking the plunge and getting a Mac Book Pro, I have a mate in the states and he is going to pick me up one.

The problem I have is that I was going to get the 15-inch: 2.4GHz model and add the Hi-Res Anti-Glare Display but they don't have them in the store.

Am I missing much by not getting this?

They have this on the 15-inch: 2.4GHz model, but that is a little out of my budget.

Also, do I need to buy an adapter for the power unit?


Any help would be great!

Just bought a refurb MBP from apple and got it delivered today. never used a mac before but so far so good. looks like new and had no marks what so ever. you wouldn't even know it was a refurb other than the box is not the same as one you get from the shop new or apple themselves new. had all the bits you need - charger, boot discs etc.

the antiglare i doubt a shop would do and most likely have to be pre-ordered directly from apple themselves. when looking here i never seen a bricks n mortar place sell anything customable other than the standard spec

Was gonna go down the import route but i think the american keyboard is different than the a standard one everyone uses. plus if you had a problem what would you do?

If you do go down the yankee route possibly get the applecare protection. its worldwide afaik

barryj

Regarding the power adapter - that will work here voltage-wise, but the plug end will be US rather than Irish/UK.

But the plug end is interchangeable on all the apple power supplies, so if you have any spare iPhone/iPod/iPad etc. chargers, you can just change the plug bit from that. Alternatively you can buy them online pretty easily for small money.

Something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standard-connector-Adapter-Charger-Classic/dp/B0047SR1DK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1296069909&sr=8-3

The figure of 8 lead already mentioned should fit I think, but will be a bit unwieldy.

- barry

jwcurtin

barryj wrote: »

Be aware that the keyboard layout of US models is slightly different - you may or may not find it a problem.

I've lived with the glossy version for the last couple of years and it's not bothered me too much - though I think if I had the choice i'd pick the matt, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker unless you need to use it outside much.

Also, if you declare the machine coming through customs or get caught not declaring, it'll likely cost you more than it would have here.

- barry

But if you take over a laptop bag (an oldish one) and use it on the plane over, would that possibly get away with it?

mfield

Many thanks for all the replies lads!

I would like to get the Hi-Res Screen though, which is not as standard.


Regarding the keyboard layout, could I just replace the keys with some UK/IRE layout keys off eBay?

Do Apple not offer worldwide cover on their laptops like they do on iPods etc?

pogsick

I got mine the the US and had to get the power cable replaced as it was damaged and apple replaced it no probs here in Ireland, they even gave me the choice of getting a US or UK adaptor

im...LOST

I've a US Mac and I just use a regular 2 pin to 3 pin converter. No problems here.

barryj

mfield wrote: »

Regarding the keyboard layout, could I just replace the keys with some UK/IRE layout keys off eBay?

No. The aluminium macs have the spaces for the keys already cut out - so a whole new case would be needed.

mfield wrote: »

Do Apple not offer worldwide cover on their laptops like they do on iPods etc?

To the best of my knowledge, cover is global.

- barry

thecommander

barryj wrote: »

To the best of my knowledge, cover is global.

- barry

Confirmed as global, have it on my US bought MBP.

milltown

Re: US Keyboards.

I'll ask here rather than starting a new thread, seeing as you're sort of on the subject already.

I bought a refurb iMac a few weeks ago from Apple, which came with the wireless keyboard. I'm coming from Windows so don't know if it's the norm but the @ and " symbols are swapped, like on an american keyboard (although it does have the € symbol). Is this normal?

And does it bother anyone else that Apple's M looks like they just turned a W upside down? Any other keyboard has the M with vertical sides. On my Apple they're at an angle.
/Pettiness

r3nu4l

I bought my MBP in the US.

Firstly power supply. I bought one of these (in a camera shop in New York). It cost me under $2 and works perfectly.

Keyboard. It's not that different. You can also change the layout in your preferences so that it's more closely mirrored to UK/Ireland specs too. However I find it really simple to switch between my MBP and my work laptop (UK spec) really easily. No difficulties.

Packaging. The MBP package is quite bulky, so I bought myself a laptop bag over there and threw away all packaging. The only thing I kept was the receipt. I would recommend doing this, not to avoid paying revenue of course, (that would be very, very wrong, a heinous crime!!) but simply to make transport of the MBP much more comfortable.

stimpson

milltown wrote: »

I bought a refurb iMac a few weeks ago from Apple, which came with the wireless keyboard. I'm coming from Windows so don't know if it's the norm but the @ and " symbols are swapped, like on an american keyboard (although it does have the € symbol). Is this normal?

That's normal on a Mac keyboard

And does it bother anyone else that Apple's M looks like they just turned a W upside down? Any other keyboard has the M with vertical sides. On my Apple they're at an angle.
/Pettiness

I think you're probably the first person to notice it.

who_ru

regarding applecare i would strongly advise buying it for a 3 year period. gives great piece of mind.

i have had the mother board replaced twice in my macbook, bought late 2008. i think i paid approx 180 euro for the applecare cover, it could have been slightly more or less, but has paid for itself probably 4/5 times over getting the motherboard replaced twice. and yes i bought the macbook in the US of A.

mfield

who_ru wrote: »

regarding applecare i would strongly advise buying it for a 3 year period. gives great piece of mind.

i have had the mother board replaced twice in my macbook, bought late 2008. i think i paid approx 180 euro for the applecare cover, it could have been slightly more or less, but has paid for itself probably 4/5 times over getting the motherboard replaced twice. and yes i bought the macbook in the US of A.

Did you buy the cover for you Mac in Ireland or the states?

jack presley

r3nu4l wrote: »

not to avoid paying revenue of course, (that would be very, very wrong, a heinous crime!!)

I believe you, many wouldn't!

who_ru

mfield wrote: »

Did you buy the cover for you Mac in Ireland or the states?

bought applecare in the US.

mfield

who_ru wrote: »

bought applecare in the US.

Mine was bought in Best Buy can I buy AppleCare online or does it have to be got in the Apple store?

stimpson

mfield wrote: »

Mine was bought in Best Buy can I buy AppleCare online or does it have to be got in the Apple store?

You can buy it online while your mac is within it's one year guarantee.

who_ru

you can buy it from the applestore online, or i have also heard of people buying it on ebay perfectly legitimately.

photolady

If you buy the MBP in the US, do you have to take Applecare at time of purchase or can you do it a later stage from home? Am thinking of doing the same.
Thanks

jwcurtin

photolady wrote: »

If you buy the MBP in the US, do you have to take Applecare at time of purchase or can you do it a later stage from home? Am thinking of doing the same.
Thanks

Look 2 posts above yours!

mfield

Thanks for all the great info lads!

photolady

Thanks JWcurtain - sorry hadn't noticed that!!

Losty Dublin

r3nu4l wrote: »

Packaging. The MBP package is quite bulky, so I bought myself a laptop bag over there and threw away all packaging. The only thing I kept was the receipt. I would recommend doing this, not to avoid paying revenue of course, (that would be very, very wrong, a heinous crime!!) but simply to make transport of the MBP much more comfortable.

If Mister Customs inspector stops you and finds any goodies the onus is on you to prove that it isn't imported and not the other way around.

thecommander

Losty Dublin wrote: »

If Mister Customs inspector stops you and finds any goodies the onus is on you to prove that it isn't imported and not the other way around.

Heard loads of hearsay about people being stopped with a laptop, in a laptop bag. But nothing more than hearsay.

Has anyone here ever been stopped about their laptop by customs in Dublin

Edit: Fly to the States a good bit, and been stopped about the contents of my bag once, but never about the laptop.

barryj

I've never been stopped myself.

I'd say given the current financial hole the country is in there'll be pressure on customs to increase their income. Also, be aware that it's not just the first time, but you could be stopped at any point in the future. Having a non-local keyboard is a good starting point for customs to dig further.

In my opinion, I'd rather go buy something from the refurb store - you'll be saving 2-300 on an MBP, which probably negates any saving of buying abroad and getting the correct keyboard and no worries.

You'll also be contributing 2-300 euro in VAT to your own country, which means a reduction in borrowing to the same amount. Given that the country needs every euro it can get it's hands on, and that we all have to pay for that borrowing anyway, that's another saving.

- barry

Johnmb

Losty Dublin wrote: »

If Mister Customs inspector stops you and finds any goodies the onus is on you to prove that it isn't imported and not the other way around.

That's a load of crap. Customs would like people to believe that, and will give that impression, but they are the ones who have the onus of proof. They are making the accusation that you are doing something wrong, and under Irish principles of law you are innocent until proven guilty. The Law Lords (or was it their new Supreme court?) in the UK have already established this principle applies to customs officials too, and I am not aware of the Irish courts ever ignoring a precedent on principle of law that was set by the top UK courts (both systems are common law based and therefore use the same principles).

whiterebel

Johnmb wrote: »

That's a load of crap. Customs would like people to believe that, and will give that impression, but they are the ones who have the onus of proof. They are making the accusation that you are doing something wrong, and under Irish principles of law you are innocent until proven guilty. The Law Lords (or was it their new Supreme court?) in the UK have already established this principle applies to customs officials too, and I am not aware of the Irish courts ever ignoring a precedent on principle of law that was set by the top UK courts (both systems are common law based and therefore use the same principles).

It is not crap. It is easily checked where a machine was purchased. If it was brought in from outside the EU, and you have paid VAT and duty, they will have a record of it. If they don't, you prove it......

And please don't use the UK examples from Law, we broke free of that a long, long time ago. We set our own laws in this country, or at least the EU does. They started off as common law, but its not like we changed ours as the UK did.

Johnmb

whiterebel wrote: »

It is not crap. It is easily checked where a machine was purchased. If it was brought in from outside the EU, and you have paid VAT and duty, they will have a record of it. If they don't, you prove it......

And please don't use the UK examples from Law, we broke free of that a long, long time ago. We set our own laws in this country, or at least the EU does. They started off as common law, but its not like we changed ours as the UK did.

I'm sure it is easily checked where a machine is purchased. I didn't comment on that. The onus is on customs to check where it was purchased and prove it wasn't purchased within the EU. That is what I said, nothing about how easy it is for them to get that proof. And as for breaking free of the UK, that is completely irrelevant. As I said, the Irish courts have never ignored a precedent of principle as set by the top UK courts. It doesn't matter whether you are happy about that or not, it is fact. The systems are the same, the Irish courts are smart enough to know that, and while UK precedents are not binding, the reality is that they are followed.

whiterebel

Johnmb wrote: »

I'm sure it is easily checked where a machine is purchased. I didn't comment on that. The onus is on customs to check where it was purchased and prove it wasn't purchased within the EU. That is what I said, nothing about how easy it is for them to get that proof. And as for breaking free of the UK, that is completely irrelevant. As I said, the Irish courts have never ignored a precedent of principle as set by the top UK courts. It doesn't matter whether you are happy about that or not, it is fact. The systems are the same, the Irish courts are smart enough to know that, and while UK precedents are not binding, the reality is that they are followed.

Its the mention of UK courts that is completely irrelevant. And the onus is not on Customs to prove it, to use your words, whether you are happy about it or not. Cars get seized every day on Irish roads because the driver cannot prove they have paid the necessary VAT and VRT on import to Customs. Do Customs have to prove they haven't? No.

ucd.1985

whiterebel wrote: »

Its the mention of UK courts that is completely irrelevant.

Not true. A huge amount of rulings by the Irish Revenue are based on case law and similar rulings in the UK due to the large similarities between the two tax systems.

Johnmb

whiterebel wrote: »

Its the mention of UK courts that is completely irrelevant.

From that comment I can only draw the conclusion that you don't have a clue about the Irish legal system.

And the onus is not on Customs to prove it, to use your words, whether you are happy about it or not. Cars get seized every day on Irish roads because the driver cannot prove they have paid the necessary VAT and VRT on import to Customs. Do Customs have to prove they haven't? No.

Actually, customs do have to prove that the VRT and VAT weren't paid. That is an extremely daft example to give as you are completely wrong in the assertion and it is not that difficult to check! In the case of cars, customs have the records of every one that has had the VRT paid on it and can therefore prove that you didn't pay it by presenting the list and showing that your car is not on it. Although, even then, the onus is on them to prove that you have had the car in this country for longer than is allowed without registering, and that you are not merely visiting. Again, usually something they can do with ease, because they don't just pull over cars randomly, they do some research first.

whiterebel

ucd.1985 wrote: »

whiterebel wrote: »

Its the mention of UK courts that is completely irrelevant.

Not true. A huge amount of rulings by the Irish Revenue are based on case law and similar rulings in the UK due to the large similarities between the two tax systems.

Would you have any links to recent cases? I presume you are not talking about the situations being similar under common law, but recent cases where the Irish legal system has been guided by UK Law?

whiterebel

Johnmb wrote: »

From that comment I can only draw the conclusion that you don't have a clue about the Irish legal system.


Actually, customs do have to prove that the VRT and VAT weren't paid. That is an extremely daft example to give as you are completely wrong in the assertion and it is not that difficult to check! In the case of cars, customs have the records of every one that has had the VRT paid on it and can therefore prove that you didn't pay it by presenting the list and showing that your car is not on it. Although, even then, the onus is on them to prove that you have had the car in this country for longer than is allowed without registering, and that you are not merely visiting. Again, usually something they can do with ease, because they don't just pull over cars randomly, they do some research first.

So Customs and Excise prove it by seizing a car at the side of the road? They don't pull over randomly? They do research first? Its pretty obvious that you have no experience of dealing with C&E , or in fact, what their powers are.
From your posts, I feel exactly the same about your "knowledge" of the Irish legal system, believe me.

Johnmb

whiterebel wrote: »

So Customs and Excise prove it by seizing a car at the side of the road?

??? Are you asking a question or making a statement? How exactly would they prove anything merely by pulling over a car?

They don't pull over randomly?

They don't just pull over randomly. They do actually do some work you know.

They do research first?

Seriously, are you trying to imply that they don't do any research to make sure they have their facts straight before risking a court case? That is incredibly naive.

Its pretty obvious that you have no experience of dealing with C&E , or in fact, what their powers are.

Actually, I have quite a bit of experience with them from a previous job, whereby lots of things, including electronic goods, where imported for sale by my employer. And I can confirm that no list of individual products is provided to either the Revenue or the CSO. They only get totals. So, unlike with cars, there is no list available to them of the serial numbers of every individual computer/laptop/whatever imported into the country with the correct duties etc paid, so it's a lot more difficult for them to prove anything.

From your posts, I feel exactly the same about your "knowledge" of the Irish legal system, believe me.

I'm not the one who thinks that UK precedents are irrelevant here, that would be you. One of the first things you learn while doing a business law course in college is that when it comes to case law precedents set in the UK (and indeed other common law jurisdictions) have persuasive value in Irish courts, and that no Irish court has ever gone against a precedent of principle set by the highest court in the UK. Despite them not being bound to follow, they still do follow. They aren't idiots, they know that the principles of law are the same in both countries, so they don't try to reinvent the wheel when it has already been done for them. BTW, Irish Supreme Court rulings would have the same persuasive value in UK courts, and I doubt very much that they would go against them if we had already set a precedent in principle before them.

whiterebel

I was going to answer that, but looking at the way you chop and change things to suit yourself, I doubt there's much point. I only hope you do not come across C&E in your travels some day, and follow your own counsel, because the advice you have given here is bad.

Johnmb

whiterebel wrote: »

I was going to answer that, but looking at the way you chop and change things to suit yourself, I doubt there's much point. I only hope you do not come across C&E in your travels some day, and follow your own counsel, because the advice you have given here is bad.

What advice? I didn't advice either way. While it is a load of crap that that customs people don't have the onus of proof, anyone planning on importing anything without declaring it need to know a few simple facts:
1. The onus of proof is on the customs guys.
2. In order to confiscate something, they only need to have reason to think it is being imported, you have to go to court to get it back, and it is there that the onus of proof will come into it, not in the airport. Also, they have the right to search you and your belongings, so if you have the receipt anywhere and the find it, they have all the proof they will ever need.
3. How heavy the burden of proof is will be up to the court. Having a brand new laptop in your bag with an american keyboard, on your way back from a holiday to the US may well be considered enough proof. Something like an iPad on the other hand, I seriously doubt that customs would even try to deal with. If you are planning to try it, you have to be willing to go to a lot of trouble to get your goods (or money) back, so you'd want to be pretty sure that they have no proof.
Trying to use cars as an example is silly, as they are completely different. The onus of proof is still with customs, but it is so easy for them to prove that it isn't like with like. Electronic goods like a laptop are much more difficult for them to prove (unless it is a model that is not available in the EU or something like that).

mfield

UPDATE

I am typing this on my Mac Book Pro bought in The US.

There really are some great savings to be had over there.

thecommander

mfield wrote: »

UPDATE

I am typing this on my Mac Book Pro bought in The US.

There really are some great savings to be had over there.

Im replying to your message on one too.

_sparkie_

Funky G wrote: »

Was gonna go down the import route but i think the american keyboard is different than the a standard one everyone uses.

the american keyboard is fine, in fact i prefere it to the UK one. when i order my new macbook i am going to get the america keyboard put into it.

Onecoolcookie

Hi guys, I've a cousin going over to the US next week and I've asked him to get me a Macbook Pro. Just wondering though do the apple stores over there sell refurbs in shop and would it be worth my while going down that route?

stimpson

I think refurbs are web only. Still cheap as chips!

Onecoolcookie

Yeah was thinking the same, thanks.

Also would I be able to order off the apple US site using my irish credit card but have it shipped to my cousins house over there?

stimpson

You may need an American credit card but I'd risk it.

If your card gets declined give your card company a ring they may allow it.

Fol20

Ill be going stateside in 2 months time,ill be getting a new mbp and ipad2, would it be dodgy to bring back the boxes..

whiterebel

Fol20 wrote: »

Ill be going stateside in 2 months time,ill be getting a new mbp and ipad2, would it be dodgy to bring back the boxes..

Well if you were stopped, how would you explain the boxes............

stimpson

+1

You'd be stung at customs if they're found. I found my mac mini box in the attic this weekend. It's 5 years old and has been sitting there since I bought it!

thecommander

Fol20 wrote: »

Ill be going stateside in 2 months time,ill be getting a new mbp and ipad2, would it be dodgy to bring back the boxes..

Post the boxes back.

Fol20

Do you think id be able to avail of this offer when im over there?

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/back_to_school?mco=MjMwMzAyMTM

Using that offer id get it 100dollars cheaper and also get a 100dollar itunes voucher..would that work in my eu account?