I'm very happy that I bought all my electronics recently and don't need new ones the next year's (Entertainment and Hobby)

Today I picked up my new MBP from DHL and will setup this weekend.
Because of all the news and trouble in this world I also think the next month the prices can raise.

So yeah, i feel a bit relieved.

 

Huh? Vietnam is the 5th most heavily hit country by the tariff scheme (more so than China at the time of writing).

 

Apple use every trick in the book to keep their prices high, up is the only direction they know.

 

I hear you, but honestly, it hasn't been a problem. My buddy has 3 kids and he buys them MacBooks or whatever apple stuff in the states and registers them with AppleCare+ in the UK/EU and it hasn't ever been a problem that I can remember ... Hell, I was gifted by him a 15" mbp from 2016 or whatever awhile time back as he had gotten a newer one or something and due to his job couldn't 'sell' it etc, and I had it serviced in the states by Apple (with the different keyboard and all as that one was actually purchased in the UK) during the pandemic in 2020 or so and outside of apple care range iirc.... they don't care... or didn't... and didn't charge me a single cent....

(of course there may be more shenanigans to come...)

...and perhaps apple care or apple care+ has changed (with laptops, I do get it, and now that it is $70 or whatever a year... and can drag out the runway... it's worth it for me, and honestly Apple has fixed stuff for me that was so my fault and SO out of apple care warranty that I can't complain.... I can bitch all I want about the price of adding another TB or ram etc to some degree, but I can not in clear conscience give them any gruff about how they have handled me over the years in and out of warranty/AppleCare etc.... been way beyond the call of duty and fast.

But TL/DR: I've gone thought custom control SO SO many times with these things... they have NEVER checked the sn# or layout, (and while I may have just jinxed myself there lol...) ... it is not a big deal... and I often travel with 2 laptops etc...

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2025

Was taking guitar lessons in a local music store on long island ny some 20+ years ago. There was a father and son there one time and got to talking as I noticed thay had brit accents. Father tells me they were there to buy a guitar because it was cheaper to fly to the US than buying in the UK. Maybe he was bs'ing me, was in the US visiting people and getting a guitar wasn't the sole purpose. IIRC, it was one of those warlock type pointy guitar things

 

People go through customs every day with laptops and do not pay to do so. Taking it out of a box and sticking it in a laptop bag wouldn't make someone a criminal mastermind importer. You'd sail through with one, in such an example.

Not to suggest it would make any sense, mathematically.

 

I had a feeling we were heading in this direction so I bought backup machines and upgrades last year.
It kind of hit me and put me a little behind financially at first but I won't have to make anymore purchases for a long time.

I don't need anymore software upgrades. Once you decide to cut those out everything else falls into place.

 

I did the same thing as you: I've now bought everything I need, and I've completely disabled updates.
I don't want Microsoft to ruin my PC. Who knows if there will be supply shortages, massive price increases, another coronavirus lockdown, and I don't want to talk about other things like the banking crash, otherwise the people reading this will get scared.

I even finally have four canisters of drinking water and a few cans in case there's a blackout.
Let's hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

 

Different countries, different customs (hon hon hon) I guess. I tried bringing in a shirt from the UK (after Brexit) and EU customs slapped 12€ in import fees, tolls and duties on it.

 

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Last edited: Apr 9, 2025

well tax differs by country, for ex. in my country with 21% you'd literally get $4477 (now you see how low taxes are in USA)

nothing to do with tariffs really, especially with Apple where they price whatever they decide in each country....

also I don't expect Apple to be dumb enough to produce in USA if they want to export anything and remain competitive on the non-USA market
(they're importing roughly 90% components from outside of USA for production of Apple goods anyway)

 

They are pretty small. Ive bought a small carry case for mine, but i have traveled with it by simply putting it in my backpack wrapped carefully in a blanket.

 

well it's a bit different situation frankly,

China has overheated economy right now, they export so much actual prices in China are deflated because people there aren't used to "spending enough" to sustain China production of all the goods - but that's nothing surprising given the fact Chinese government/people leading the mindset of "save money, don't need much" which they can then use for worldwide deals on state level

Russia on the other hand, has been running out of money funding invasion of Ukraine, their economy/society is balancing on the edge of collapse (in a similar way ancient Rome happened), using money reserves cannot lead to prosperity, and their economy isn't sustainable

EU has fairly similar population to USA+Russia combined, and citizens actually can afford to spend money on non-mandatory things so far, limiting factor being independent goods production (but again, that's why global markets are established, unfortunately USA opting out from them apparently)

 

most unfortunate thing about this tariff war is, once prices rise, warehouse stocks will diminish, resulting in lack of shelf availability, rising prices even more, and years later once situation stabilizes, companies/producers will definitely not drop prices if customers/buyers conform to new costs

 

Smaller and lighter than a flight case full of vinyl records. Some of the stuff I have seen people go through airports with make that barely register. Musical instruments, sporting goods like snow skiis, hockey equipment, and that kind of big stuff all the time. It is your personal property and not on a banned list of stuff.

 

I must admit, I was sceptical of these tariffs but then I read what Ron Vara, the great economist, said about them and I think I'm onboard now.

 

I'm pretty sure that the difference in prices between Macs in the US and in Europe is down to our VAT which makes everything cost 20% more here. If you flew out to the USA and bought one, you'd still be liable for that 20% VAT if customs found it on the way in. Plus any fine for tax evasion.

 

That's not true at all! Russia's economy is not on the verge of collapse; it has natural resources and trades with other partners such as China (gas contract), BRICS countries, Africa, and Asia. Russia's real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by around 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The truth is, America was on the verge of collapse. The US is the most indebted country in the world, and Trump and his administration have now taken drastic measures to stop wasteful spending and corruption. They must save money or they will be insolvent. America is now focusing on itself. America is no longer number 1 – we now have a multipolar world.

Those who adapt survive; those who don't adapt, like Europe, perish. The US national debt is projected to reach approximately $35.3 trillion by 2024. The United States has the highest national debt in the world in absolute terms. While the US is also by far the world's largest economy, the level of national debt already exceeds its economic output.

 

How about making your own computer?