According to recent revelations from Australia's CommSec iPad Index, the cost of the Apple iPad tablet is comparatively much higher in the UK and Europe - with the cost of the device in these regions being nearly
25 percent higher that the cost of the device in the US.

With the CommSec iPad Index highlighting that the purchase of the iPad from the US, or even Asia and Down Under, can spell substantial savings for the European buyers, the variation in the device's price comes as a surprise because the device should supposedly trade at almost the same price worldwide if exchange rates were properly adjusting.

Going by the statistics of the CommSec iPad Index, while the entry-level 16 GB Wi-Fi-only iPad model begins at $499 in the US, the cost of an equivalent model in Britain is $620. In Canada, Japan, and Australia, the mentioned model costs $520, $536, and $533 respectively.

Meanwhile, the top-end 64GB `Wi-Fi and 3G' iPad model costs $980 in Germany, France and Italy, and $1,010 in Britain; vis-a-vis its $829 price-tag in the US.

Noting that the iPad costs "20-25 per cent more" in the UK, Germany, France and Italy, as compared to its US cost, Craig James - chief economist at the CommSec share trading division of Australia's Commonwealth Bank - said: "The question is whether Apple has priced its product too high for the European market, or whether the UK pound and euro need to depreciate further to bring global pricing into line."