Does anyone know how much the powerbook G4 15"superdrive 1.5Ghz, and 15" combodrive 1.33GHz cost in taiwan? Also how much is Final cut pro HD?
From the posts Apple seems to be the prefered choice for film editing, but then price is always a factor as well, at least for me it is.
Except for the 12-inch models, the “new” P’books aren’t yet available in Taiwan and won’t be until next month.
I would love to be contradicted, anyone?
I just got a quote for a 15" PB, G4, 1.5 GHz, 512Mb RAM, 80Gb HD, Bluetooth, extreme card for NT$93,000 ( cheaper than UK prices ! )
93k?! wow! Here in Oz, the same PB costs the equivalent of 82k.
So… how come they are made in Taiwan but cheaper to buy here? Bizarre.
Not bizarre at all… 
Here goes…
They are made here under an “export only” tax deal with the government (ie no local taxes or trade-related duties on the parts, etc) and shipped overseas. They are then reimported (taxes apply) for sale locally.
Basically, this sort of anachronistic arrangement doesn’t allow officials and manufacturers any wiggle, which is another word for corruption (Or, alternately, it gives them two goes at the foreignors).
Is there still corruption? Absolutely! For example, every so often certain “non-Apple” shops down on Ba-De will be flush with any manner of Mac kit packaged with German, Japanese, Portuguese, [etc] materials…
Also, another reason for this type of silliness is to encourage development of local industry. If you’re having trouble getting your head around this conceptually, just think plain-old racism.
As every former colonialist knows, every dollar made by the foreigners (think re-importation in this case) is a dollar lost forever and ever. Never mind that Apple has been a going business in Taiwan longer than most competing “Taiwanese” companies.
(This isn’t to say Apple doesn’t benefit. But, in a less flawed world, it’s hard to imagine such arrangements.)
Now, toss in the KMT, their cronies, their new “friends” in China and the endless machinations entailed and you’ve really got a headful!
Now, how bizarre is that, eh? Sounds kind of “normal” to me… 
Well yes 
I am aware of the process - doesnt mean it makes it acceptable nor filled with logic
Consider the costs of all the free software you can get when you buy any Apple kit in Taiwan and I’d say the price point comes down pretty quickly.
Go into many Apple stores for something, say a Ram upgrade and see if they’ll throw in something extra, you’ll be surprised. Apple retailers in Taiwan aren’t very willing to give discounts, but will definitely throw free stuff in if you prod a bit. Saves their profit margin and keeps the customer coming back.
I recently resigned from one of Apple’s retail stores in Virginia. While I was there I saw that Powerbooks are now being made exclusively in China, something that surprised me. I had been under the illusion that Apple had all of the “top shelf” hardware like notebooks and wi-fi cards made in Taiwan and the lower-end eMacs and such made in China, but it looks like things are changing. iBooks are still made in Taiwan, but power adaptors are now made in India and batteries are from Thailand. Looks like RAM is exclusively Korean. Apple is definitely moving its manufacturing across the strait while using Taiwan as a logistics center.
BTW: I just got the 15" PB with the 128 mb graphics card myself…what a Bad-ass machine (esp. if you’re into editing video)! :lovestruck: Final Cut 4 (w/ HD) is US$900…about NT$31,500.
Newbie here…what are some of the better vendors for 12" powerbooks in Taipei?
phramrock, if you go through the technology in Taiwan forums a bit there’s a couple of good mac threads. The two places that seem to be the best are the Jinhua st Taipei Mac store, near the corner of Lishui st (near Allycat’s), there’s now two ABC’s who work there so communication isn’t a problem. Ask for David or Elvis. The other one is on Roosevelt rd Section 5 called MacCare. Ask for Eddie or Jessica.