Best place to buy a Macbook?

I

Ingonuts13

[H]ard|Gawd
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I am looking to finally take the Mac plunge and was wondering where the best place to purchase a Mac was? Should I go in the store, go to an e-tailer, apple online direct?

Any disadvantages to not buying from Apple directly?
 
I bought my Air from amazon. I'm a student in college but, even with the the student discount buying it from Amazon was a cheaper option because of no tax :D. It was also listed a $50 below retail + $50 rebate. (Bought it two days before that online NY State tax, hehe.)

If you want to get AppleCare down the road, you just need to buy it within your first year of purchase--not necessarily from an Apple store.
 
I would recommend the Apple store (online or physical) and Amazon.com. Buy it wherever it's the cheapest for you. You will have to pay tax at the Apple store, and maybe Amazon, depending on the state you live in.

Besides the actual service in the store, buying your Mac from a third party will have no affect on things like the warranty, if that's what you're wondering.
 
I had no problems buying directly from Apple. I kinda like it that way too, just in case there is any funny business there are only two parties involved.
 
bought both our apple laptops direct from Apple using my student discount, it was nice just having it right after paying for it. then they replaced it with a totally new one down the road through my apple care and i got a huge upgrade from that :p
 
Always check out the refurb Apple store too. Sometimes you can get some good deals.
 
I got my macbook pro, Brand new sealed in box off ebay for 2000 Aus dollars (700 off), the guy changed his mind on purchase, so worked for me :). Not sure if they have a scheme in america to claim on tax like we 'did' (Screw Rudd) where you might be able to sallary sacrifice and get it cheap.
 
I went through the Apple store. I did that mostly because I have student discount. I would HIGHLY recommend you find a friend that goes to school and have them get you their discount. Granted it's not very much, but every bit counts.
 
basically check amazon or apple, and go with whichever is lowest (with or without tax, student discounts, rebates, etc)
 
Apple online store.

Wait until August-ish when they have those deals... buy a lappy + printer + ipod shuffle and take off like $100 or something. Add on a student discount, sell the ipod and/or printer.
 
Ingonuts13 said:
What % is the student discount if you don't mind me asking?
Click to expand...

It's a strait $100 discount (it doesn't matter if it's an MBP or a regular MB or any other Mac.) However, if you are like me and want Applecare, they take off an additional $150 off of that.
 
As others have said, the Apple online store has refurbs for 15%-20% less than retail. They are covered with the same warranty and support as new computers.

The student discount takes $100 off of new MacBooks and does not provide a further discount on refurbs. Also, the student discount gives you a free (after rebate) iPod nano or iPod touch when you buy a new Mac.

If you buy a Mac, check to see if your credit card has a warranty extension. I bought my wife an iPod, and it broke 18 months later. American Express covered its replacement.

It might be wise to wait a few months for buying a new Mac, because it is likely that they will be update sometime soon.
 
I would buy it straight from Apple, maybe even get a refurb, I mean hey, its directly from the manufacturer, if you have a problem you got a perfect warrantee and no other BS.
 
I bought straight from an apple store.

no disadvantage though if you buy from anywhere else AFAIK.
 
I got mine from the Mall of America Apple store. There is nothing like the instant gratification of being able to walk out with the computer. :cool:
 
I bought my iMac refurbed off of the Apple store online. As expected, service was great and shipping was FAST. I bought it on a Wednesday night and Thursday morning at ten it shipped out. The waiting is sometimes hard, but hey, I saved some money off of a new one, so I'm happy. And, if your wondering, my "refurb" iMac looks brand new with not a mark on it. Only thing is, you don't get to look at the pretty packaging that Macs have, but that's not a big deal for me. Inside, everything is packaged just the same.
 
^^^ i hope he or she is being sarcastic:D...don't buy from macmall it was a really bad experience. buy from amazon. you have to pay tax if you buy from the online store or the retail which would basically cancel out any deal you get. with amazon, you can often get the same deal without the tax...unless if you live in some of the states. but buy from amazon...quick, simple and free shipping.
 
I think Amazon is going to be the place for me after much consideration and I will probably wait a few weeks until the new models hit stores.
 
timswim78 said:
As others have said, the Apple online store has refurbs for 15%-20% less than retail. They are covered with the same warranty and support as new computers.

The student discount takes $100 off of new MacBooks and does not provide a further discount on refurbs. Also, the student discount gives you a free (after rebate) iPod nano or iPod touch when you buy a new Mac.

If you buy a Mac, check to see if your credit card has a warranty extension. I bought my wife an iPod, and it broke 18 months later. American Express covered its replacement.

It might be wise to wait a few months for buying a new Mac, because it is likely that they will be update sometime soon.
Click to expand...

Buy Apple online. My friend just got a MacBook to replace her PB G4 and (being a college student) got the discount and a new iPod touch.
 
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