Buying Mac in the US

tidusjar · 16 Mar 2014 at 23:16

Hi guys,

I'm heading over to Florida in June, and I'm planning to buy a mac book air/pro (not sure which one yet)

Now I see it's a lot cheaper but has anyone done this?

dav3evans · 17 Mar 2014 at 00:16

Considered it when I went over there last but didn't bother in the end due to general funds. There's no issue with doing so though, apple warranty is worldwide. You might need to consider that they will likely all have US keyboard layouts though which May or may not bother you.

bloodiedathame · 17 Mar 2014 at 00:58

And the fact you should declare it when you get back to the Uk so you pay the correct taxes

Ev0 · 17 Mar 2014 at 03:33

dav3evans said:
You might need to consider that they will likely all have US keyboard layouts though which May or may not bother you.

If you're there long enough could order online and select a British keyboard then have it sent to where you're staying maybe?

tidusjar · 17 Mar 2014 at 06:55

Ev0 said:
If you're there long enough could order online and select a British keyboard then have it sent to where you're staying maybe?

thats interesting, i'm out there for 3 weeks.

I forgot about the taxes.... hmmm, its in my carry on and there is no box...i brought it with me!?

Youstolemyname · 23 Mar 2014 at 10:34

Power cables will be US too but you can easily buy replacements. I know people who have done it with no issues. Chuck the boxes and receipt etc as the receipt is emailed to you anyway, just keep hold of the OS/ booklets.

If you can get HE discount in the UK that is a better option as you can buy the 3 year care package for 50 quid. You also avoid the squeaky bum time walking through customs on the way home.

Ben Cole · 23 Mar 2014 at 10:39

Don't worry about the keyboard. After a year or so with the US MacBook I'm on now the ONLY real difference that I can tell is that when I want "£" I hit the key with the "#".

That's it.

Hxc · 23 Mar 2014 at 19:07

Youstolemyname said:
If you can get HE discount in the UK that is a better option as you can buy the 3 year care package for 50 quid. You also avoid the squeaky bum time walking through customs on the way home.

You do not need to pay £50 for three years parts and labour cover. The £50 is purely for telephone support on the HE scheme.

sanofi · 23 Mar 2014 at 19:32

I did just this very recently. I was in CA and bought an 11" MBA + Applecare. Even including CA state tax, it worked out considerably cheaper than in the UK or in Austria where I live now. Most of my electronics have UK plugs and I have to use convertors here in Vienna anyway so having a US plug doesn't really bother me that much.

As others have said, Applecare is an internationally recognised warranty which is also taken by authorised resellers, a good this as there isn't an official Apple store here in Vienna. As for the keyboard, if you really want you can order one and have it delivered to the local Apple store for you to pick up but TBH, the differences between the US and UK keyboard are pretty minimal. You may not be able to find the exact configuration you want in store so ordering may be a requirement.

When you take it back, just have the laptop in your carry on and you can put the box in your checked luggage.

Terminal_Boy · 23 Mar 2014 at 19:41

bloodiedathame said:
And the fact you should declare it when you get back to the Uk so you pay the correct taxes

You must be fun at parties.

MagicBoy · 23 Mar 2014 at 22:21

I did it in 2006. I saved £300+. £1479 here, a bit over £1100 after conversion.

Bin the box, use it while you are there. Warranty is international, so that's OK. Only difference to a UK model is a couple of keys and it's a whole lot cheaper.

Hxc · 24 Mar 2014 at 13:04

Gotta say the US enter/delete would drive me nuts.

MagicBoy · 24 Mar 2014 at 13:28

I never had a problem with it.

Ben Cole · 24 Mar 2014 at 14:17

Hxc said:
Gotta say the US enter/delete would drive me nuts.

Why?

Until I was told it was different I hadn't noticed.

tidusjar · 24 Mar 2014 at 19:29

Hmm anyway to get the HE without being a student?

Hxc · 24 Mar 2014 at 21:08

Ben Cole said:
Why?

Until I was told it was different I hadn't noticed.

Just find it very difficult to use when I'm used to touch typing at high speed on a UK keyboard.

Ben Cole · 24 Mar 2014 at 21:51

Hxc said:
Just find it very difficult to use when I'm used to touch typing at high speed on a UK keyboard.

Ah, understandable. Single finger, double at a push here.

Surely you'd get used to it though? The Yanks cope after all?

Amp34 · 24 Mar 2014 at 23:18

Youstolemyname said:
Power cables will be US too but you can easily buy replacements. I know people who have done it with no issues. Chuck the boxes and receipt etc as the receipt is emailed to you anyway, just keep hold of the OS/ booklets.

If you can get HE discount in the UK that is a better option as you can buy the 3 year care package for 50 quid. You also avoid the squeaky bum time walking through customs on the way home.

Don't chuck the boxes, send them and the booklets via post. Only cost me $10 from Canada at least (did take 6 weeks to get back).

Ben Cole said:
Don't worry about the keyboard. After a year or so with the US MacBook I'm on now the ONLY real difference that I can tell is that when I want "£" I hit the key with the "#".

That's it.

There's a much bigger difference going from a Windows keyboard to a Mac keyboard than from a US to UK Mac keyboard... The UK Mac keyboard is basically a US windows keyboard with a couple of buttons swapped.

Out of interest, where is the # key... I just tried to find it on mine and didn't find it... (North American Mac with location set to UK).

MagicBoy · 25 Mar 2014 at 00:15

Alt+3

#####

sanofi · 25 Mar 2014 at 09:44

Unless you are limited in space, why bother ditching or shipping the box. I carried mine through in carry on luggage.