If you are from Malaysia, and thinking of getting an Ipod, and price is your decision factor on which model you want to purchase, go get it in Singapore.

I don’t understand why Ipod in Malaysia or Apple products in retrospect are significantly more expensive than those sold in US or in our neighboring country Singapore. Is it because those items are tax differently in Malaysia? Well, I send a feedback through the Apple Malaysia site and currently awaiting for their reply. I will post their reply as an update later below, that is if they reply.

Looking at the price comparison, I am amaze on how significant the difference are. I look at 3 Ipod models, Ipod Nano 2G, Ipod Nano 4G and the latest Ipod (Video) 30G. The items were priced at RM969, RM1219 and a whooping RM1599 respectively. Now, if we were to just go across the causeway, the 3 products are prices at RM775, RM975 and RM1220*. Wow, I could get a 4G in Singapore for the price of a 2G in Malaysia. Now, comparing the price from the US, the 3 models are sold at RM751, RM934 and RM1129*. The prices are not too far off from Singapore’s price, and unless you have friends or family coming back from there, it might not worth the effort. Internet purchase over Apple.com site in Singapore also provide free engraving similar to what was offered in US.

Well, sometimes the warranty of the product only limited to the country of purchase. So, I dig into the warranty sheet for Ipod and found no statement of such. It makes sense, as this is a product designed to be portable and so the warranty needs to reflect that too by having a global warranty. I suggest readers to check this out for them selves and not just take my word on it. Also, this warranty statement hold here could change in time. Just a small disclaimer there….

Now, what about the Ipod Care package? (the extended warranty for another year) Well, that is priced at MR224 in Malaysia and could be purchased at anytime before the standard 1 year warranty expires. The Ipod Care Package in Singapore on the other hand was priced at RM241. Wow, for once, there is something cheaper in Malaysia for Apple.

So, there you have it, If you are getting an Ipod, and the price is a decision factor, Singapore is a good buy…

*Prices are obtained from Apple.com US and SG sites and converted to Ringgit using Nov 1st 2005 exchange rate.

On this day..

• November 2006 Reboot - 2006