Mind the gadget gap: Aussie gadgets still cost more
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Hi Tech Blog
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
Monday, January 02, 2012 at 02:55pm
THE GAP between Australia and the United States is closing.
Not geographicallythe
Pacific Ocean is still infeasibly large. Im talking about the
gadget gap.
This is the gap between gadget pricing and availability in the United States and our little continent.
Now our dollars are worth the same, gadget prices should also be similar. And measures like grey imports,
direct importing and
price changes are helping.
But proof that were not quite there yet is already sneaking into 2012.
Sony has just slashed the price of its
tablet in the States but failed to do so here, meaning Australians are paying significantly more.
Its 2012. The world may be ending soon. Can we please fix this issue before it does?
Dont get me wrong. The Sony tablet price cut is great news. Particularly if:
(a) you are travelling to the US soon or
(b) you have American relatives and
(c) you didnt just buy one for Christmas.
The Tablet S is actually a really slick Android tablet. It has the right kind of specsa dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16/32GB storage, space for a memory card and one of the prettiest 9.4-inch screens youll see, even if you see it from an angle.
Yes, its unusual, book-folded-over appearance might divide opinion, but its truly comfortable to hold, helped by a light weight and a textured plastic back.
Theres a strong chance its not selling as well as Sony expected, however. Particularly as the company had such HUGE tablet ambitions.
Without even launching a tablet, Sony computer division head Kunimasa Suzuki told a Consumer Electronics Show audience last year
We would like to really take the number two position in a year.
And Id like a lot of things. Like a second lounge room just for gadget use. And cheat codes for
Tiny Tower. And Apples that taste like chocolate. Life is hard.
Sonys solution seems like a wise one, however. It chopped $100 off the price of both Tablet S models16GB and 32GBand made the price cut permanent. In the US it will now set you back $399 or $499 for a Tablet S.
In Australia it will cost you $180 or $190 more for the same technology. Thats one expensive plane ride.
To be fair, if you make your Sony tablet purchase in Australia, the company will throw in a
$100 voucher to be used towards its entertainment services, but that is hardly the same thing as keeping your cash.
If a price cut isnt imminent, I cant imagine Australian internet-reading tablet aficionados are going to take kindly to this move.
Surprisingly, US Sony customers dont have everything their way either. They have yet to receive the much cuter, more innovative
Sony Tablet P. Parts of Europe,
including the UK, can now access that machine that folds out to reveal dual screens (its on my want-to-try list).
So when are gadget makers going to wake up and accept the idea that their market is global? Can they not just set up one online store to rule all continents and offer similar pricing, postage notwithstanding, on their products?
If not, smart Aussies are going to find away around this gadget gap. There are plenty of ways to fake an overseas address and, if the financial incentives are right, well do it.
Its 2012. Lets fix this.
http://blogs.news.com.au/technology...he_gadget_gap_aussie_gadgets_still_cost_more/
Wasn't sure if this belonged here or in a thread all of it's own.
If you click on the link and read the comments at the bottom of the page and the blogger's response it seems clear that we are getting ripped off
