Rip-off Britain: iPad to cost 25% more in the UK than it does in US stores

British consumers will have to pay far more than their US counterparts for Apple’s new iPad, it has emerged.

Apple has announced that the starting price in the UK will be £429 for the 16GB model with a WiFi link to the internet – around 25per cent more than the US.

The equivalent price for the same device on the other side of the Atlantic is around £340.

British consumers will have to pay around 25 per cent more than their US counterparts for Apple’s new iPad

Apple will charge £499 for the 32GB model and £599 for the 64GB device.  Again, these are around £90 more expensive than the price charged in the US.

Apple explained the price difference saying there are different, and higher, taxes in Europe, as well as increased transport and other costs. However, these do not explain away the difference.

The US technology giant yesterday announced that the hugely successful iPad – a supersize version of the iTouch and iPhone – will be available in the UK and some other nations on May 28.

The international release of the iPad was initially put back after the company decided to meet massive and unexpected demand in the United States.

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs holds up the new iPad

The company has already sold around 1.5million of the iPads in the US despite its limitations. It has no camera or 3G mobile phone link to the internet.

The decision by Apple to charge more in Britain will fuel concerns that mult-national companies see this country as a Treasure Island where they can get away with imposing higher prices and grabbing greater profits.

Apple imposes strict controls over how and where its products are sold, consequently there is little or no value in shopping around.

When Apple launched the new skinny iPod nano in 2008, the UK prices were some 30 per cent higher than those in the USA.

A similar pattern has been seen in the past with sought-after games consoles from other manufacturers.

Sony charged UK shoppers more for its PlayStation and PSP, while Nintendo marked up the price of the Wii.

US fashion chains like Gap, Babana Republic, and Abercrombie & Fitch also charge British consumers far more than their counterparts in America.

The general defence of the firms involved is that the higher price reflects the greater cost of doing business in this country, linked to business rates, taxes and staff.

When it first came to power in 1997, the Labour government promised to put an end to rip-off Britain. Delegations were sent to Brussels and price comparison surveys were carried out, but nothing has changed.

The Lib- Democrat shadow Treasury spokesman, Dr Vincent Cable MP, argues that both the Government and the Office of Fair Trading have failed to protect British consumers against rip-offs.

‘There are many examples of UK customers being charged over the odds .The reality is that consumers in this country are losing out,’ he said.

The iPad, which is being touted as a replacement for lap-top and netbook computers, allows users to browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, and read ebooks.

It is just half an inch thick and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.

More importantly it is able to download tens of thousands of software Apps previously devised for the iTouch and iPhone.

To date, US consumers have already downloaded  12 million Apps as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from Apple’s new iBookstore.

Apple has also announced the British prices for the high-spec versions of the iPad, which will be able to connect to the web via a 3G mobile phone signal.

It said these will start at £529 for the 16GB model, £599 for the 32GB and £699 for the 64GB.

Apple said British customers will be able to pre-order the iPad for its online store from May 10 onwards.

In the UK, the mobile phone networks Vodafone, O2 and Orange have all signed up to supply the iPad to customers.

However, there are no details of the prices they will charge for connection to the internet over their networks.

The other countries getting the iPad from May 28 are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.

Apple plans to release the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.
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