Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'COSTS'.



More search options

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Categories

  • Articles
    • Forum Integration
    • Frontpage
  • Pages
  • Miscellaneous
    • Databases
    • Templates
    • Media

Forums

  • Cars
    • General Car Discussion
    • Tips and Resources
  • Aftermarket
    • Accessories
    • Performance and Tuning
    • Cosmetics
    • Maintenance & Repairs
    • Detailing
    • Tyres and Rims
    • In-Car-Entertainment
  • Car Brands
    • Japanese Talk
    • Conti Talk
    • Korean Talk
    • American Talk
    • Malaysian Talk
    • China Talk
  • General
    • Electric Cars
    • Motorsports
    • Meetups
    • Complaints
  • Sponsors
  • Non-Car Related
    • Lite & EZ
    • Makan Corner
    • Travel & Road Trips
    • Football Channel
    • Property Buzz
    • Investment & Financial Matters
  • MCF Forum Related
    • Official Announcements
    • Feedback & Suggestions
    • FAQ & Help
    • Testing

Blogs

  • MyAutoBlog

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


  1. We love cars! Or at least, I do. I assume you do too, since you’re on this platform. But as an aspiring car owner, I also grapple with the realities of living in Singapore. We have again been acclaimed as the “World’s Most Expensive City” together with New York City, our inflation is the highest it’s been in 15 years, and our homes start at hundred of thousands of dollars. In the face of such problems, a car seems like the least important of my worries. But let’s say in about 10 years time (can you tell I’m a young person yet?) I have enough money to get a car. Nothing special, a Toyota Corolla from Sgcarmart perhaps? How would I get there? And what are the costs that I’ll face afterwards? Join me and let’s see if buying a car is still worth it in Singapore. The many hidden costs of owning a car in SG To understand what it takes to buy a car I think a good place to start is to see the costs involved. As I’m sure you all know, we need to deal with COE (Certificate of Entitlement). It’s a metaphorical piece of paper that you buy in order to give you the right to own and use a car in the streets of Singapore. The COE lasts for 10 years. After 10 years, you have the option to refresh the COE and continue to use your car, or let it expire and be forced to de-register your car. Let’s say I’m a first time buyer, and that I’m getting a brand new Toyota Corolla Altis. The standard variant. This is what you’ll see in the official Toyota website. Now don’t worry, this is already taking into account COE for this year, as of April 2023. This specific model makes 96 brake horsepower with a 1,598cc engine. Therefore, this model would qualify for a Cat A COE. This category is for cars that have an engine less than or equal to 1600cc & make 130bhp or less. However, let’s take a look at how much this COE costs as of March 2023. You have spent almost 2 thirds of the entire car’s cost on the right to have gotten the car in the first place. Now let’s fast forward 10 years. The maths is going to get real complicated real quick. 10 years later.... I’ve had a wonderful time with my Corolla. It has served me well. It has seen me through so many things. My marriage. My first kids, my divorce, my wallowing loneliness. Ok, that got dark but you see what I mean. Some time has passed. I now need to make a decision to renew my COE or let it expire. To renew it, I will need to pay the PQP (Prevailing Quota Premium) of the COE. PQP is the moving average of the COE prices in the past 3 months. To calculate PQP, simply take the existing COE prices of the most recent three months and find its average. We can take the PQP from the above image and see that it is $85,845. I’ll let you decide whether it’s worth renewing the COE. In another scenario, let’s say I let it expire. And there’s actually a proper reason to do this called rebate. For any fellow Gen Z, this is our “cashback”. Upon de-registering a vehicle, we get a certain value by adding up our COE rebate and PARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee ) rebate. Our COE rebate is based on the Quota Premium paid and the remaining COE left. Here’s a formula: Your COE rebate = [(Quota Premium Paid x Number of months left)/120 months]. Here’s an example: It is 2021. Adam has 12 months of COE left on his car. Assuming that his Quota Premium (QP) paid back in 2012 was $40,000, the COE rebate he will receive is ($40,000 x 12) / 120 = $4,000 PARF rebate is based on the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) value. Your PARF rebate = [ARF x % based on the age of your car] ARF is a tax imposed upon the registration of your vehicle, which depends on your car's Open Market Value (OMV). A car's OMV is the original cost of production of the vehicle before surcharges, taxes and the dealer's profit. Here’s a table to help you visualise the PARF rebate. According to Budget Direct Insurance, the Toyota’s OMV is $19,436. So the ARF for this car, as it is less than $20,000, will be 100% of its value at $19,436. However, as in this scenario I have spent over 10 years with my car, there will be no PARF rebate. I will also have no COE rebate because I have no months left on that either. I will get a tidy sum of... So if I'd like to continue using my vehicle after likely having paid for it in full, I'd need to once again pay for a permit worth several times over the actual cost of my car, even after taxes. Some people have clearly gotten sick of this, like this biker, who started a discussion on Facebook after showing why he doesn't use his motorycle anymore, calling it a ransom. It's clear that many people felt the same as him, calling the COE system a con or daylight robbery, that once their COE expires, they will likely stop using their vehicle. And yet, COE is at a record high this year. So I'd like to ask you all, what does owning a car mean to you? For more information about renewing COE, do head over to this guide on COE renewal. ========= Be the first to get the latest road/ COE news and get first dibs on exclusive promos and giveaways in our Telegram SGCM Community. Join us today!
  2. Hi everyone. I started this thread to get a second opinion from more expert car owners on the costs of owning a car. In my case, I would like to own a car and finance it with Grab driving, and also earn some side income. Currently doing self-sustaining investments, so don’t mind driving to burn all my spare time and also to ferry my family around. It is my hope that this thread can also guide new aspiring PHV drivers. Key Assumptions Buying Honda Jazz 1.3 from AD, no loan ($74,999 at Kah) Driving 6 hours for Grab a day, 8 hours on the road, $5/hour fuel Gross takings for 1 hour of Grab is average $32 (Before commission+expenses) Medisave is still your own money so don’t need to count contributions as expenses Daily Cost of driving PHV (Worst Case Scenario) Car Cost ($74999/10 years, $7499.9 PARF) = $18.49 Insurance Price ($2000/year) = $5.48 Maintenance Fees ($1000/year) = $2.74 Road Tax ($578/year) = $1.58 Additional Costs (Accidents, Wear and Tear) ($4000/year) = $10.96 Carpark Fees ($110 HDB season, $6/day Misc) = $9.62 Fuel Costs (8 hours/day @ $5/hr) = $40 Total Daily Costs: $88.78 Estimated Daily Earnings Gross Takings (6 hours, $32/hr) = $192 After 20% commission = $153.6 Taxable income = $56064 Income tax paid = $400 Nett Daily Income (After all deductibles) = $63.72 Worst Case Scenario Monthly Income (6 hr/day for 30 days) = $1911.72 Key Questions to be answered Is the $32/hr average gross takings by PHV drivers realistic? Assuming the most newbie technique - to aim for incentives. Would renting a car be a better option?
  3. Paige Hui Fang is a personal friend of mine, my classmate back in secondary school. Her sister is also a junior of mine in my secondary school band and a close friend. Got to know that their older brother is currently battling cancer at the young age of 36. Every dollar helps. Every word of encouragement goes a long way to keeping the morale of their family high and strong. A shoutout to Hui Fang here to stay positive and may your brother overcome this difficult period in his life! A little background story of Hui Fang's brother and his fight against cancer. I am Paige, and my only brother is fighting Stage 4 Bile Duct Cancer at age 36. The cancer has metastasized and has impaired his brain, lungs, stomach, bladder, spine and legs. He is currently bedridden due to a stroke, and has a morphine implant to help him ease the pain. His fight against cancer has been costly and his treatments have essentially wiped out his savings - he was the main breadwinner for his family and has an 8-year-old daughter. I wish to raise funds to help my brother and sister-in-law ease their financial worries with mounting costs as each day passes. His family will have to bear the five-digit palliative care costs, all his other inpatient and outpatient medical bills that are not covered by insurance. As his wife is his sole caregiver and unable to work at the moment, help is also needed for his mortgage, living expenses and his only daughter’s education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc-TvGZF9K0 Giveasia Page: https://give.asia/campaign/help-eric-and-his-mounting-treatment-costs-due-to-stage-4-bile-duct-cancer
  4. Many doctors and medical professionals here. Any thoughts? This seems to be a hot topic recently. Recently, I went through a procedure and was darn pissed with how much I had to fork out from my own pocket and according to my doctor, my company's appointed TPA is to be blamed. True?
  5. Hi, Just test drove the new Subaru Legacy. Was very very very very impressed. Handling was really good. Very tempted to buy the car. Just wondering, how is the servicing at Motorimage. Is it expansive? Do they do a good job? Is it expansive? Also the warranty only for 60k. So, after warranty service is expansive? Do they have parts problems? and are parts expansive, compared to say Nissan? Lastly are there outside workshops that sepecialise in Subaru. Do you guys rely on Agent to service after warranty or outside.
  6. Hi all, sibeh suay. Anyway any bros/sis her can agar agar estimate the price for repair? My passenger's side door got about 4 dents, some scratches and there's one part with paint scratched off. All not very big, biggest about 50 cent coin size. I going down to AD tmr morning, need some price estimation so that can try bargain.. Thanks in advance.
  7. Hi all, Can anyone share what is the lower range of wedding bridal package with bridal shops? What does the package include? Also, is DIY much cheaper? e.g. I rent only wedding gown & hire freelance videographer, photographer, beautician etc... What is the current rate for hiring these people - per day or per hour? I'm not sure how much I should budget but I hope to settle for below S$2k if possible. Thanks
  8. Manpower costs the main reason for increase in food price? Really ?. http://www.soshiok.com/multimedia/photos/1999 I would think it's the increase in rent. Why no labour cost ? Due to inflation, everyone deserved a higher salary because of higher cost of living. So it natural to expect labour cost to increase in proportion of inflation. However, why does malls/food stall has their rent increase more than inflation by so much over the years... Actually, every increase in profit didnt not go the owner or those that labor.. But went to the fat bonus of the landlords.. Why is these scholars so blind not to see the real cause of the problem?
  9. My ride : Sonata NF 2.4, almost 6 years old. Milage : 140k. I will be buying the following spare parts from Mxx Gxxx soon and need to find a good workshop for replacing them. Kind bros whom got good experience with thier workshop, please recommend. Prebably can completed the job on a saturday full day. Thanks........... 1) Suspension front : - Lower : $195/- x 2 - Upper : $85 x 2 2) Engine Mounting : $295/- all sides 3) Brake pads : - Front : $80/- - Back : $60/- 4) Shock Absorber : - Front : $85/- x 2 - Back : $80/- x 2 5) General 10k periodic servicing as well 6) Replacing a 14 mth old car battery 7) If possible repair a dent on the roof and changing the rear centre brake light. A lot of screws and things to remove to replace this stupid bulb......very troublesome job. 8) Tyre rotating and alighnment if possible..........havent done this since tyres were install new about 30-40k milage ago. Its a GR90 225 x 45 x 17 I believe there should be other things to replace for a 6 year old car. If bros can add into my list, i would appreciate it. I wana drive this baby until its 10th year. Water Pump assembly is one of them im tempted to replace........
  10. Quite a mystery why Stomper never noticed her maid is preggers as well. Nevertheless, I also wonder what all the maid levy is for when at the first sign of trouble, the authorities straight away bo wa eh tai ji. Employer's horror: She has to bear medical expenses after maid gives birth STOMPer Sabrina was appalled after she got saddled with medical bills and repatriation costs for her maid who gave birth within three months of employment. The STOMPer wonders how the maid got through the medical check-ups without the pregnancy setting off any alarm. The STOMPer wrote: "I employed an Indonesian maid to look after my mother (not living with me) in February this year but returned her to the maid agency last Friday (May 04) and got an alarming piece of news yesterday (May 08) -- that she has given birth to a healthy baby boy in the office of the maid agency! "How can this be possible since she was only in Singapore for less than three months. Now, the maid agency says that according to MOM's (Ministry of Manpower) rules and regulations, the employer is to bear all the medical fees and costs for repatriating the maid and the baby. "In the first place, the maid should be at least 6 months pregnant when she arrived in Singapore -- how could she have passed the full medical check-up? "Furthermore, the medical check-up is handled by the maid agency, not me! "As such, shouldn't the maid agency be responsible for the costs or go after the doctor who did the medical check-up? "I checked through the contract that I signed with the maid agency -- under clause 15, it's stated that 'in the event FDW (Foreign Domestic Worker) falls ills or suffers personal injury...employer shall bear all the medical costs'. "Can an 'unexpected' birth be classified as an illness or injury? "The agency is going to discharge the maid and the baby from NUH today (May 09). "Is there any of you out there who has a similar story to share? Is there any immediate action I should take to protect my rights? "I am very very sad. Staff from MOM called me up yesterday too and surprisingly, she told me that they are not going to mediate the matter involving. "She advised me to settle the bill and send the maid back as soon as possible and said 'it has nothing to do with MOM as the ministry issued work permits based on medical reports'. "Who should I turn to then?"
  11. The market-driven pricing approach taken by the government has contributed to cost in Singapore rising so rapidly, beyond the rate of growth of incomes of Singaporeans and beyond the rate of growth of company profits, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ang Mo Kio GRC Inderjit Singh said on Tuesday. He noted that the government has often been quick to increase its various charges, allowing costs to escalate, immediately upon a recovery from an economic recession. 'Each time this happens, we bring the cost base higher without having an opportunity for cost reductions. This has led costs to unrealistically increase faster and more than profit and income growth,' Mr Singh said. An example was in 2008, when property prices rose despite the recession because of 'liberal policies on capital inflows'. 'While the government should not interfere in the private market except to curb speculation, it could have done a lot for the HDB market had it not pursued market driven pricing,' Mr Singh said. 'Also market driven pricing has created huge cost burdens and will potentially edge out many of our SMEs because of squeezed margins,' he added.
  12. WHILE the media often reports on price rises in essential items and foodstuffs such as rice, wheat and coffee, subsequent falls in the prices of such items are reported less diligently, affecting the country's fight against inflation. For instance, in 2010, the media rushed to report on the doubling of onion and garlic prices owing to bad weather in China and India. Housewives hoarded onions and garlic and restaurants raised their dining prices. And around this time, coffee shops increased the prices for coffee and tea citing a hike in commodity prices. Today, garlic and onion prices have crashed to prices below those publicised in 2010 because of good weather, and the increased planting brought about by the earlier jump in prices. Prices for tea and robusta coffee, the kind normally used in our daily heartland cuppa, have fallen by up to 15 per cent. However, the media has been silent on such drops in prices, and restaurants and coffee shops have not reduced their menu prices despite the lower costs. It may interest readers to know that cocoa prices had fallen by 50 per cent between March and December last year. Yet, I doubt if we shall ever see Cadbury's 250g chocolate bar again, although the cocoa price spike was given as a reason for reducing the per bar weight from 250g to 200g, while the price per bar stayed the same. Rising raw material prices are often cited as the reason for increasing the prices of end-use products. This contributes to a higher rate of inflation in Singapore. Failing to publicise falling commodity prices is detrimental to consumers' welfare, as they are not kept informed of actual market conditions and prices, and suffer higher household expenses even when the reasons for the price increases have diminished or disappeared. Reporting on commodity price trends is difficult and speculative. But one-sided reporting of just price increases - without alerting the public when prices drop - will feed into increased expectations of businesses and the acceptance of higher food costs by consumers, to their own detriment, and fuel inflation. Lim Wei Jan http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/...ory_762838.html
  13. Guys nowadays i see alot of VW golfs, polos, sirocco, etc. Its tempting and they look real sexy on the roads. but i am concerned about maintenance costs... 1) what is the cost of replacing DSG? 2) what is the running maintenance costs? 3) belts, pump, gasket, oil filters = are these more expensive?
  14. news say that old and new subscribers will have to pay more. who else has contract with starhub tv and feeling moody like me now? http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/S...ory_685161.html
  15. STOMPer sagiko paid $9 for a plate of nasi lemak at Food Republic (Vivo City) and thinks it may win the title for 'the most expensive nasi lemak of the year'. The STOMPer said: "I was at the Chong Pang Nasi Lemak stall at Food Republic Vivo City. "I knew that nasi lemak here would be expensive so I was prepared to pay $6 or $7 for my 3 dish meal. "It turned out to be $9. The vegetable cost $1.20, a small curry chicken for $3 and a few pieces of sotong for $4. "A total rip off! It can definitely win the title for the most expensive nasi lemak of the year!" http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sg...e_it_costs.html
  16. Feb 21, 2011 Cut the costs of quality childcare I REFER to last Thursday's report ("More help urged for women caregivers") in which the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) urged the Government to beef up the quality of childcare centres. However, beyond just the quality, more effort must be made to reduce the rapidly escalating cost of childcare. Currently, quality childcare costs have surpassed the cost of university tuition. This is extremely worrying as it makes it hard for parents to save for essentials like university education and health care. Affordable childcare is a necessary requirement for working parents, not a luxury. As Singaporeans tend to have children when they are much older, their parents might not be able to provide free childcare for them and maids are getting increasingly expensive even for middle-income families. In France, the childcare system is extensive and covers everyone. The model is based on the idea that caring for the next generation should be a shared responsibility of the state and parents. The French do not rely on maids to bring up the children. This being the case, the French are willing to be taxed for quality childcare. To ensure that all strata of society can afford childcare, parents pay on a sliding scale based on household income and residential address. It is unsustainable to allow our childcare costs to continue to escalate faster than university tuition costs. Hopefully, the French model, though not without its flaws, provides us with ideas on how to move forward. Laurelle He (Ms) Another one who simply wants the gahmen to solve their problems for them. She willing to pay tax same rate as in France? Raise problem but got no solution to offer. Really dislike this type of people. Didn't she know that having and raising kids is the PARENTS' responsibility and not the gahmen's?
  17. Hi guys Now my ang mo boss dun wan to buy van since cant drive to Msia. So i got to redo budget for him. I need some servcing prices from those who own below cars : 1) Ford Focus Wagon servicing for: - 1k - 5k - 10k - 20k - 30k - 40k - 50k - 60k 2) Subaru Legacy Wagon - 1k - 5k - 10k - 20k - 30k - 40k - 50k - 60k 3) Subaru Impreza Wagon ( How come I cant find the new car price at sg car mart ? no longer bring in? ) - 1k - 5k - 10k - 20k - 30k - 40k - 50k - 60k 4) Chevrolet Optra Estate ( also cant find in new cars section) - 1k - 5k - 10k - 20k - 30k - 40k - 50k - 60k thank u very much !
  18. Just checking with you ICE folk, how much $$$ wld i be looking at if i just want to redo up my ICE setup. I'll be using a Nakamichi CD500 for the HU What i need are, decent speakers that fit into the OEM speaker enclosures and most importantly, very good and neat wiring. I'm just using it for daily driving listening, no need anything powerful
  19. Dear all, In case any of you take fancy in the following unit (SJT5xxxT), avoid it at all costs. http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...305&DL=1359 Did a preliminary check on behalf of a friend who has expressed interest getting it. Here are the findings: 1. Vehicle was involved in frontal collision: - front right fender was resprayed and the quality of the refinishing is nothing to shout about. Striations of paint lacquer are very evident. The alignment of the repaired fender and the bonnet is not consistent. - Left headlamp shows signs of aging. Right headlamp is newer. - Right lower front grille cover is missing 2. "Check engine light" is permanently indicated. Additional cost required to replace the aging parts that contribute to this problem. 3. Rear boot lid struts are worn. Extremely stiff to open and close the boot. The boot lock is not functioning. The annual depreciation of approximately 4k/yr is attractive. The condition of the car is worrying.
  20. The cost to make an iPod, Xbox, and other electronics has big bottom-line implications at Apple, Microsoft, and their peers. Some companies are willing to swallow losses on some gadgets -- for instance, gaming consoles -- in hopes that they'll make up the difference, and then some, on sales of related gear, such as video game software. Other companies, including Apple, are able to sell many products for a healthy profit from the go Market research company iSuppli takes it upon itself to tear down popular gadgets to find out the price of the component parts and the vendors supplying those ingredients. A rundown of several recent iSuppli teardowns follows -- each slide lists the product, maker, release date, retail price on the release date, and iSuppli's estimate of the cost of materials. Apple iPad Date: March 2010; April 2010 for 3G models Retail price: Starting at $499 Cost of components: $219.35 to $334.95 In the coming months, Apple plans to introduce six models of the iPad -- three with 3G, three without. Researchers at market research firm iSuppli say the mid-range 32-gigabyte 3G model will likely be the most profitable of the six, given its retail price of $729 and estimated material cost of $275.95. Components for the entry-level iPad that sells for $499 will cost $219.35. The high-end 64-gigabyte model, which sells for $829, will cost almost $335 to build. Google Nexus One Date: Jan. 5, 2010 Retail price: Starting at $179 Cost of components: $174 Manufactured by HTC, Google's phone boasts the Android operating system. T-Mobile USA sells the Nexus One for $179 with a two-year contract; Google sells a version without a service contract for $529. Verizon Wireless is expected to begin carrying the Nexus One sometime in 2010. Motorola Droid Date: Nov. 6, 2009 Retail price: Starting at $199 Cost of components: $185 Motorola and Verizon Wireless went to great lengths to promote the Droid, Verizon's first phone running the Android operating system, as the anti-iPhone in TV ads. Verizon Wireless carries the phone for $199 with a two-year contract; it can be purchased contract-free from Best Buy for $599. Apple iPhone 3GS Date: June 19, 2009 Retail price: Starting at $199 Cost of components: $179.16 Apple.com Usually the cost of components goes down from one generation of a product to the next. The iPhone 3G, released in July 2008, cost $53 less to build than the original iPhone, released in 2007. But costs rose by about $5 for the iPhone 3GS. One reason is that the price of memory hasn't declined as quickly as in the past. The newest iPhone comes in two flavors, 16 gigabytes and 32 gigabytes, while the high-end version released in 2008 had 16GB of memory. An improved 3-megapixel camera with auto-focus costs more than the camera used in the previous generation. Finally, a new Samsung applications chip, at $14.46 a pop, costs a dollar more than last year. Palm Pre Date: Expected no later than June 6, 2009 Retail price: Expected to be about $200 Projected cost of components: $137.83 Palm.com Palm (PALM) needs a winner in the Pre, and it's up against some formidable competition in a smart phone field that includes Apple and its iPhone and Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry. Boasting a completely new operating system called WebOS, the Pre bears little resemblance to the Treo line of smart phones that Palm has sold for years. Like the iPhone, the Pre sports a so-called multi-touch display that lets the screen react to more than one finger touch at a time. In an analysis of the probably cost of Pre components, iSuppli estimates the display alone runs $39.51, or almost one-fourth the total hardware expense. Add in $15.96 for eight gigabytes of flash memory, $15.41 for wireless components, and $12.39 for the 3-megapixel camera, and you've accounted for more than half of the Pre's estimated hardware cost. Amazon Kindle 2 Date: Feb. 9, 2009 Retail price: $359 Cost of components: $185.49 Amazon.com Amazon's second device to bear the Kindle name is thinner than its predecessor, and in some ways more sophisticated. The main cost-driver is the $60 display designed by E Ink Corp., while a wireless module from Novatel Wireless adds another $39.50 to the cost of materials. An applications chip from Freescale Semiconductor adds another $8.64 while two kinds of memory chips from Samsung add another $6.10. Add in $4.45 for the enclosure, $7.50 for the battery and you've accounted for most of the materials and manufacturing cost of the device, according to iSuppli estimates. Apple iPod Shuffle Date: Mar. 11, 2009 Retail price: $49 (4GB) Cost of components: $21.77 Apple.com The latest iPod shuffle is so small -- less than 2 inches long -- there's hardly room for parts or controls. The most costly components inside are $6 worth of flash memory for storing music. In the unit examined by iSuppli, the memory was supplied by Samsung. The tiny Apple device also includes a Samsung-made chip that handles music and control functions and costs $5.98. Add in the cost of the battery ($1.55) and the headphones with the inline volume controls ($1.20), and you've accounted for about two-thirds of a device that costs less than $22 to make, including packaging. Research In Motion BlackBerry Storm Date: Nov. 21. 2008 Retail price: $249 before rebate Cost of components: $202.89 BlackBerry.com Research In Motion's latest effort to outpace Apple in the hotly contested smart phone market, the BlackBerry Storm sports a unique touch screen design that evokes the iPhone in many ways. Reports say RIM sold more than a half a million Storms in its first month on the market. All told, the materials used to make it cost $202.89, according to an iSuppli teardown analysis. Surprisingly, its most expensive component is not the screen, but its Qualcomm-made wireless chip, which costs nearly $35. Research In Motion BlackBerry Bold Date: Oct. 2008, in the U.S. (expected release date) Retail price: Expected to be about $300 Cost of components: $169.41 RIM.com Research In Motion kicks its smart phone battle with Apple into overdrive with the release of three new devices this year, including the BlackBerry Bold. This device cost just under $170 to build and may sell for as much as $300 when it
  21. Thu, Feb 11, 2010 Reuters SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc's AAPL.O forthcoming iPad tablet computer will cost as little as US$229.35 (S$325.67) for the company to produce, according to an estimate on Wednesday from research house iSuppli. The group conducted what it called a "virtual teardown" of the iPad, since the device is not yet available and component suppliers have not been announced. Apple's iPad, which resembles a large iPhone and uses the same operating system, will go on sale as early as next month, as the company looks to define a new category of mobile devices. For the US$499 (S$708.58) iPad - the lowest-cost model, which features 16 gigabytes of flash memory - iSuppli estimated the total materials cost at US$219.35 (S$311.47), with a US$10 manufacturing cost. The priciest iPad will cost around US$335 (S$475.70) to produce, while the mid-range model will cost roughly US$287 (S$407.54), the group said. The most expensive component in the iPad is the 9.7-inch display and touchscreen, at an estimated cost of US$80 (S$113.60), according to the estimate. Analysts expect Apple to ship somewhere between 2 million and 5 million iPad units in the first year.
  22. http://www.mosnews.com/weird/2009/03/10/marathone/
  23. For breakfast this morning, I had Nutella with bread, and I just realised that now Nutella comes in transparent plastic jars. I'm not sure when the change started, but I can recall last time it used to come is heavy glass jars. I thought this is one very clever way to cut cost although it's not so envrionmentally friendly. Plastics jars must be cheaper and easier to make, and more importantly it's also much lighter. So just imagine how much they save in shipping cost when they have millions of Nutella jars to ship? That's why I start this thread so we can all share based on what we encounter, how some companies come up with clever cost cutting measures to survive during this downturn.
  24. Extract (think value is in USD) (source: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/artic...CselvzsRe7YWsA) There's more expense to a car than the purchase price Anyone in the market for a new car this year should factor in a number of other costs, such as the interest rate on the loan, depreciation, reliability, fuel economy and -- not to be overlooked -- maintenance and repair. Consumer Reports magazine says maintenance and repair costs combine to equal about 4 percent of the total cost of owning a car over the course of five years. Maintenance includes scheduled work -- like oil changes, tuneups, filter replacements and tire rotation -- and unscheduled replacements such as batteries, brakes, tires and exhaust systems. Many repairs are covered by a new car's warranty, especially in the first few years, but can mount up after the warranty expires. Here's a look at what are expected to be the 10 most expensive and the 10 least expensive 2008 model cars for maintenance and repairs over a five-year time frame. 10 Most Expensive RankingMake/ModelMaintenanceRepairsTotal 1.Dodge Viper = $8,209 / $2,114 / $10,323 2.Jaguar XK-Series = $5,456 / $4,171 / $9,449 3.Jaguar XJ-Series = $5,299 / $4,150 / $9,449 4.Land Rover Range Rover Sport = $4,910 / $4,317 / $9,227 5.Land Rover Range Rover = $4,678 / $4,317 / $8,996 6.Mercedes-Benz SL-Class = $5,963 / $2,793 / $8,756 7.Mercedes-Benz CL-Class = $5,988 / $2,742 / $8,730 8.Land Rover LR3 = $4,424 / $4,213 / $8,637 9.Audi RS4 = $6,164 / $2,442 / $8,606 10.BMW Alpina B7 = $6,018 / $2,516 / $8,534 10 Least Expensive RankingMake/ModelMaintenanceRepairsTotal 1.(tie)Suzuki SX4 = $2,615 / $596 / $3,211 Honda Element = $2,518 / $693 / $3,211 3.Nissan Versa = $2,587 / $654 / $3,241 4.Hyundai Accent = $2,724 / $569 / $3,355 5.Kia Sedona = $2,786 / $569 / $3,355 6.Honda Pilot = $2,678 / $703 / $3,381 7.Hyundai Veracruz = $2,786 / $611 / $3,398 8.Suzuki XL7 = $2,794 / $609 / $3,403 9.Honda CR-V = $2,708 / $703 / $3,410 10.Mazda Tribute = $2,686 / $769 / $3,455 * Figures assume 15,000 miles driven per year for five years No Toyota???
  25. From today's ST. Interesting excerpts. In an internal memo, Citi urged staff to be more frugal. All new Blackberrys purchase need to be pre-approved! Should not this be basic? Ban on off-side meeting to cut down cost of refreshment s bought outside. UBS is now flying economy on domestic while Deutsche Bank told employees no reimbursement for "adult entertainment of any kind"! WOW Goldman Sachs trader no longer get free water and soft drinks.
×
×
  • Create New...