Buying a MacBook in the US and bringing it back to the UK?

[Kenzo]

my boyfriends going to the US for a few months and he's planning to buy a MacBook out there, will it work when he brings it back to the UK?

Also, will he have to pay duty on it?

[ACtheTROLL]

yes and yes

[ACtheTROLL]

yes ... hide it ... because of course these days there is no airport security .... and no one will even think of x-raying your luggage - especially from america

[Ethel]

Yes, duty will be payable, yes it will work, but the keyboard will have the American layout.

[vehelpfulguy]

If you try and hide it and they find it you will not only have to pay duty and also pay a fine.

It will probably not be supported by Apple in the UK so if it goes wrong you may be in trouble getting support.

[Kenzo]

Thanks for the help, any idea how much duty will be?
Also, I've heard varying things about the power supply, america runs on a lower voltage so will it need an adapter to run here? or will it just blow up?

[fo3nix]

The laptop itself is independant of voltage system. It has a little 'brick' used with the power cord that does the transforming.

The block will come with US-style pins for their electrical sockets. You can buy UK ones here. I think that the brick itself won't need to be replaced, but I could be wrong there. If you have a local Apple store, then they're the best place to ask.

But I think the most concerning thing is warranty. You will want to check from Apple (ideally in writing, too), that if something goes wrong you'll be covered with it over here. Not all manufacturers will cover you.