Sir, - Referring to your article last Friday in The Margin on prices for an iBook here vs in the US. Prices in the US are generally quoted without VAT and therefore should be compared to prices quoted without VAT here. The fact that VAT is only about 8 per cent in the US and easily avoidable by ordering on-line from another state is hardly something you can blame on Steve Jobs.
Comparing the prices without VAT then: US: $1,595 = £1,202 UK: £1,045 sterling = £1,245 (www.dabs.com) Ireland: £1,296
Allowing for some exchange rate fluctuations and that the US market is a lot more competitive than the European market, this hardly justifies the outcry you are trying to create over this.
I'm afraid on this one the man was right.
Art Ploeger project manager - IT Dublin