Because spreadsheets aren’t all bad, I just ran some numbers on how much Macs cost here in Australia, compared to the US. GST was removed from the Australian price, as sales tax is not part of the advertised US price.
You’re left with an effective exchange rate. Prices usually only change when a model is refreshed, so the rate varies from model to model. Right now, Mac Pros are most overpriced (US$1=AU$1.31) and the best deal is the MacBook (US$1=AU$1.18). There are smaller fluctuations made locally to make the price end in a “99” (or a “49” for the cheapest Mac mini).
The average is US$1=$AU1.22.
That all means that the Wifi iPads will probably be $649/$799/$950 (if we’re lucky) or $699/$849/$999 (if we’re not). The AU$ is strong and has been for a little while, so let’s hope it’s the lower of the two numbers.
Please feel free to correct my numbers if you wish.
| US Price | AU Price ex GST | AU Price inc GST | |
| iPad WiFi 1 | 499 | A$611.39 | A$672.53 |
| iPad WiFi 2 | 599 | A$733.91 | A$807.30 |
| iPad WiFi 3 | 699 | A$856.43 | A$942.08 |
| iPad WiFi+3G 1 | 629 | A$770.67 | A$847.74 |
| iPad WiFi+3G 2 | 729 | A$893.19 | A$982.51 |
| iPad WiFi+3G 3 | 829 | A$1,015.71 | A$1,117.29 |