VicsBM Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Hi there, My visa has just been granted (HOORAY!!!) and we are planning to get to Oz in the next couple of months. I am thinking of buying an iPad 2 and can't work out if it makes more sense to buy it here or wait until we reach Queensland. Does anyone have iPad experience there? Is it easy to get tech support? Is WiFi relatively available? And can I use an iPad from Australia in the UK easily if I come back for visits? Thanks very much for any help! :em4500: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Most Apple stuff is a bit cheaper over here (yes really) so it's probably better to buy here as you'll have no warranty hassle or anything like that as well. We bought an iPad3 here Tech support is easy to get, again if you buy here then it'll be warranty covered anyway Wi-Fi isn't quite as prevalent in the UK but there's still plenty of it around. And rapidly increasing. We only really use ours at home so got a WiFi only one If you buy a Wifi one, it's exactly the same so will work fine if you come back. If it's a 3G one then you'll need a different SIM card I guess to use it in the UK (You'd certainly not want to be paying data roaming charges!) On a semi-related note, Aus mobile networks generally are not so set up for their customers roaming as UK ones are, so it can be a PITA to get permission, and/or the charges can be extortionate (OK, they're high with UK networks but Aus ones can be eye-watering). Understandable when the nearest foreign countries are a fair way off and far fewer people go there than travel from the UK to Europe....and of course the EU makes a difference in Europe too as they are constantly pressuring the mobile operators to cut roaming charges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W8ENN Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was thinking of looking for one at the airport, either Singapore or Dubai. Is this a good idea or wait till I get to Sydney? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I was thinking of looking for one at the airport, either Singapore or Dubai. Is this a good idea or wait till I get to Sydney? Check the prices in advance and see. I don't think the warranty will be a problem as I think Apple's are worldwide - you don't need to return to Singapore or Dubai. The "duty free" savings are often not as big as they are cracked up to be. The only duty on an Australian iPad is 10% GST. Bearing in mind the airport duty free shop has to pay a very high rent to the airport and that you have an FX transaction to pay for it (even when using a credit card) you can end up saving very little if any of that duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoiam Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Duty free in Dubai is a joke price wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiverpoolFC Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I can throw some light perhaps on this issue as I recently purchased an iphone in an apple store in the UK and casually asked if anything happened in Australia would I just take it into an apple store out there to get repaired/replaced and was shocked at the answer; he said that in Oz and China they use different components in both the iphones and ipads - not with the macs or macbooks etc and so I wouldn't be able to. He double checked this with the manager and he agreed - any other country no problem apparently! I wonder if this is correct as I'd have though most if not all the worlds apple products would be made in China, plus it hardly seems fair! Only slight way around it is to buy out there if you're staying or purchase the apple care protection plan but it means that an iphone/ipad will have to be dispatched from europe instead of just going into the shop and lifting a replacement if something goes wrong. When I priced it a few weeks back it was cheaper to buy an iphone here but an ipad was about £50 cheaper in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shigella Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I bought an iPhone in the US and bought the Applecare warranty with it. It's supposed to be valid in all the countries I'm concerned with including Europe, USA, UK and Australia. Even with the extra warranty it was still worth the effort and cheaper all in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ozmiguel Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Buy the iPad in Australia northshorepom is right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieF8 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Just been onto Apple UK.... They 'may' do a warranty repair on an Oz bought ipad Sounds like the local store will make a decision on a case by case basis - if they won't do it, you will need to post it back to Oz for a warranty repair They told me if you buy AppleCare in the UK, then you can get it repaired in the UK under warranty http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC593/applecare-protection-plan-for-ipad it's £69, but you do get a 2-year warranty instead of 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicsBM Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going to wait and buy the iPad in Australia as it is certainly cheaper, and I plan to be there for a long time! :-) Now I just need to find GOOD stereo speakers for my iPod over there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zman Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I can throw some light perhaps on this issue as I recently purchased an iphone in an apple store in the UK and casually asked if anything happened in Australia would I just take it into an apple store out there to get repaired/replaced and was shocked at the answer; he said that in Oz and China they use different components in both the iphones and ipads - not with the macs or macbooks etc and so I wouldn't be able to. He double checked this with the manager and he agreed - any other country no problem apparently! I wonder if this is correct as I'd have though most if not all the worlds apple products would be made in China, plus it hardly seems fair! Only slight way around it is to buy out there if you're staying or purchase the apple care protection plan but it means that an iphone/ipad will have to be dispatched from europe instead of just going into the shop and lifting a replacement if something goes wrong. When I priced it a few weeks back it was cheaper to buy an iphone here but an ipad was about £50 cheaper in Australia. Whilst I would not discount this as fantasy, I find it hard to believe that Apple would choose to incur higher production costs for the relatively very small market in Australia. If there's any hint of truth to it, it may apply only to those with the 3G capability but again I'm not sure why the telecom networks in China and Australia would differ from those in Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 ...if you buy AppleCare in the UK, then you can get it repaired in the UK under warranty http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC593/applecare-protection-plan-for-ipad it's £69, but you do get a 2-year warranty instead of 1 Don't waste your money buying warranties. Think of all the electrical items you've bought in the last few years. How many of them have you needed to get replaced? For most people that's 10 or more items. Even if the average warranty cost £69 that's £690. Most people won't even have needed to replace one item while it was young enough to still be covered by an extended warranty - but even if they did the replacement didn't cost £690. Only use an insurance company for those thing you can't afford to replace yourself (e.g. your car or your house) and even then take the largest excess you can afford. Extended warranties are no different to PPI - a project sold to people who don't need it in order to pay a bonus to the head of the bank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burchos Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Friends of ours were over for a visit from Perth recently. They were shocked that ipads were more expensive in the UK than Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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