[0x0]

Fine, maxxed out except 1TB instead of 2TB SSD and the total is €4.039. The bump up/down from 2TB to 1TB is "only" €960.

Also sales tax isn't dishonest. I have to pay it to buy the machine!!

This is a ton more money than what maxxed out macbook pros were around 2013 in €, and to be honest the total package feels like a downgrade.

[masklinn]

> Also sales tax isn't dishonest.

I didn't say sales tax was dishonest, I said converting back a tax included price into USD was, and explained why. Aside from US sales tax being much lower than european ones (as low as 0%) US prices are pretty much always displayed without taxes, so you're making the machine look 20% more expensive than it actually is as far as american viewers understand it. A fair quote would have been to provide the regular USD price ($4300 maxxed out, or $3500 for 1TB).

[0x0]

Well if US sales taxes are as low as 0% then I think it IS a fair comparison.

Feature-wise, it feels like the 2013 device is worth the 2016 price and the 2016 device is worth the 2013 price.

[masklinn]

> Well if US sales taxes are as low as 0% then I think it IS a fair comparison.

That's completely nonsensical, Apple doesn't decide where you live and they don't set how much VAT to apply, they've got a "manufacturer price" and add VAT on top.

[cynix]

> That's completely nonsensical, Apple doesn't decide where you live and they don't set how much VAT to apply

The point is that it is possible to buy it somewhere in the US without tax, whereas no such method exists in the EU.

[masklinn]

Saying that you don't want to pay VAT is not a point.

[0x0]

My original point was that the € price for a maxed out machine appears much higher than previous MacBook Pro launches, regardless of sales tax. The USD conversion was just a side note.

[Zikes]

> Also sales tax isn't dishonest. I have to pay it to buy the machine!!

What they mean to say is that VAT is included in the price tag in Europe, so when people see the € number they'll say "and that's exactly what it will cost" whereas in the US prices are before tax, so we will mentally inflate the number by ~10% when we see it.

[monatron]

It is if you're making a critique of the manufacturer. Apple has no control over where you choose to buy the machine.

[SysArchitect]

US sales taxes vary depending on state. There is no direct comparison.