Apple's iPod takes on global currency markets

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telkomsuig

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The CommSec iPod Index, based on January 2007 prices.

1. Brazil $327.71

2. India $222.27

3. Sweden $213.03

4. Denmark $208.25

5. Belgium $205.81

6. France $205.80

7. Finland $205.80

8. Ireland $205.79

9. UK $195.04

10. Austria $192.86

11. Netherlands $192.86

12. Spain $192.86

13. Italy $192.86

14. Germany $192.46

15. China $179.84

16. South Korea $176.17

17. Switzerland $175.59

18. New Zealand $172.53

19. Australia $172.36

20. Taiwan $164.88

21. Singapore $161.25

22. Mexico $154.46

23. U.S. $149.00

24. Japan $147.63

25. Hong Kong $147.35

26. Canada $144.20


South Africa would be second on the list at todays exchange rate.
R1599 = $ 223

Found on DIGG.
 
At first I thought this was another SPAM - Until i noticed you had 1724 posts.

How is it that we are almost, nearly, twice as expensive as Canada?
 
By Rob Taylor Thu Jan 18, 1:25 AM ET
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Having already stormed world fashion, Apple's hip iPod music player is finally making its presence felt in global currency markets.

One of Australia's biggest banks, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA.AX), has used the latest version of Apple's (Nasdaq:APPL - news) music player -- the slimline Nano -- to compare global currencies and purchasing power in 26 countries.

Along the lines of the Big Mac index launched 20 years ago by The Economist magazine, the survey prices the 2GB Nano in U.S. dollars and found Brazilians pay the most for an iPod, shelling out $327.71, well above second-placed India at $222.27.

Canada was the cheapest place to buy a Nano at $144.20, while Australia ranked 19th at $172.36, cheaper than Germany ($192.46), France ($205.80), South Korea ($176.17) and China where the machine is manufactured. The U.S. was fourth cheapest at $149.

"Interestingly, especially with freight costs close to zero, China is middle ranked in terms of global prices at US$179.84," Craig James, the Chief Equities Economist at Commonwealth Bank, told Reuters.
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Although SA is omitted from the list - by my calculations the r1,564.00 Core makes us pay places us in a shocking third place with an amount of $219.00! :eek:
1. Brazil $327.71
2. India $222.27
3. Sweden $213.03
4. Denmark $208.25
5. Belgium $205.81
23. U.S. $149.00
Click to expand...
 
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Volumes are one factor SA is a tiny market and the lower ranked countries have lower sales and import taxes I think.
 
telkomsuig said:
Volumes are one factor SA is a tiny market and the lower ranked countries have lower sales and import taxes I think.
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And Core gets it's business model from Telkom's handbook. :mad:
 
bwana : Bit harsh. Apple doesn't operate in SA. As such, Core imports them. And sells them. So in SA, there is an extra person in the loop, which adds value to a product. Apple dont operate in SA as they percieve it to be too small a market (I think Core is proving them wrong lately)
 
JStrike said:
bwana : Bit harsh. Apple doesn't operate in SA. As such, Core imports them. And sells them. So in SA, there is an extra person in the loop, which adds value to a product. Apple dont operate in SA as they percieve it to be too small a market (I think Core is proving them wrong lately)
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Do you think Core buys them from apple at the retail price - of course not. I'd love to know exactly how high their profit margin is but I'm certain it is higher than their western counterparts.
 
I was told today by one of the Apple Store Staff, that Core is "Apple in SA", as they have exclusivity etc. I don't know how true that is.

As for the iPod index, it is completely meaningless as a comaprison of the relative strength of currencies as there is effectively only one source of the product, and pricing is not related to the sum cost of the components.

At best its an oblique way of trying to quantify transport and marketing costs.

That other Mac index works because of the reliance on a standardised process of producing a burger from locally sourced content.
 
The 30gig video ipod is the most overpriced item that Core sells with a >>60% markup. It should be selling for the same price as the 8gig nano, which already has a >>30% markup.
 
discourse said:
very interesting. a reminder of how we get screwed here... lets all buy online from US or Canadian suppliers then...
**** proudly south africa. be proudly smart!
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As much as possible I do. :) Apple laptops and iPods (and oddly enough even the mini) are covered by apples worldwide warranty. :)
 
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