Revision of Apple Brasil Pricing Policy

We love Macs. We love using macs. We tell people everyday to switch. However our capability of using macs and arguments for our potential switchers are scarce. The reason for this is based on only one and yet a major factor: Apple products in Brasil are way too expensive. Macs have never been the cheapest computers in the market, but that was fine as long as they paid off. Now they are so expensive here that it is hard to state this value with certainty. The prices are even hardly possible for corporations, schools and organizations, and virtually impossible for a SoHo market.
We fully understand the currency issues as well as the local import taxes issues. However, Apple Brasil is simply making this as an excuse to make prices excessively overrated. When the US dollar currency goes up, just in a few days Apple Brasil raises the prices, but when it goes down, as it did in the past few months, they kept the prices high. This is not the the only reason why we write this, but it is a deeply aggravating element. Perhaps it is better to set a few examples and comparisons:

1) A 12" Powerbook costs US$1600, and in Brazil it costs R$10300(about US$3600). The total import taxes would be about 60 \% and the currency ratio is today at about 2.90 per dollar. That means that such an equipment should cost around US$2650 (or R$7424). If I imported alone, with no relation whatsoever with Apple Brasil, added the shipping costs, it would be at about US$3000 maximum. So why an Apple representative, that has direct relations with Cupertino and purchases a load of equipments, that would share the shipping costs , charges more than if a single person would with a single computer import?

2) The ratio for smaller equipments is not only bad, but a lot worse: an Airport card costs about US$260 (about 300\% more expensive than in the US), and a DVD-R pack is sold at U$105 (almost 7 times more expensive than the original price!!)

3) If we compare this policy with that of Palm in Brazil we see that there is a really good reason for us to be angry: A Zire palmtop (sold at U$99 in the USA) costs here about R$500(or US$170), and it is easily found at stores with great purchase conditions such as up to 10 monthly payments with no intrest, a highly competitive offer with a product that gets to Brazil pretty much the same way as Apple products do. i.e. : Why is it possible for other computer companies to make their prices cheaper and their selling offers a lot more tempting and competitive than those at Apple Brasil?

4) We have checked with some tax experts and people at customs that the taxes paid by Apple Brasil should be lot smaller than the usual 60\% for a single importer(i.e. a regular customer). And since Apple Brazil deals directly with Apple USA we are quite certain that they do not pay street prices, but country representative prices, so the taxes should apply to these numbers, not to street price numbers. However what we see here is quite different.

It is quite clear that Apple market share in Brazil could be a lot bigger than it is, but Apple Brasil apparently refuses to do so. The positive results of this petition do not affect directly we who sign it, but it would most certainly improve the performance of Apple market in this country.
We strongly believe that we are being constantly deceived and exploited by Apple Brasil and that there should be a serious conversation with Apple Computer in order to evaluate the prices, logistics , taxes, currency, etc. All this in order to make these computers more accessible not only for those that love macs, but are unable to get them, but also for those that could switch, but cant. Needless to say, the purchase power of the consumer in Brazil regarding salaries is a lot smaller than in the US, and that makes it twice as hard to get our hands on a new Mac or any Apple accessories for that matter.
All we ask is for you to take a closer look at the way Apple Brasil has been dealing with such great products, for many of us fear that in a not too distant future we may even not have an Apple office in Brazil, because even we, Mac supporters, are about to abandon the platform due to a highly serious pricing problem. Therefore we urge you to study this case and reach an acceptable solution not only for ourselves, but for Apple itself.