Where do you buy a mac/apple product?

[ziomatrixacs]

Hey guys, just wondering, where do you buy your apple products? Do you get your stuff from an apple store? Or do you use their website? Do you buy used from a friend, ebay or something?
Im just curious, apple seems to only put their computers in certain stores (or certain stores want them) I only know of best buy being an authorized seller for the computers but you can get an ipod nearly anywhere.

[Giaguara]

Depends :)
One I got at MediaWorld in Italy, some things from J&R (both in physical and via web on another time), then via some specific channel - would usually be ordered via web to get the discount(s). I wouldn't also mind mind picking mine up from Apple retail store (if going with factory configuration) and in fact, one of my Macs was bought there.
At the current state of $, even if living in Europe, I prefer to get my Macs from US or Canada. And then sell them in Europe when I want to upgrade the model...

[Doctor X]

As another noted on another thread, a "refurbished" Mac from an Apple Store is not a bad deal either.

I tend to buy "The Just Before the Next Best Thing" because the price drops. I also have a chance to see whether or not the computer was well made. I use laptops, and there are well made Mac laptops . . . and not-so-well made . . . though I think the latest are tending towards the later.

Such you can buy refurbished, sometimes "new" from an Apple store trying to move "The Next Best Thing" or even used. Used you can buy online but then you have to be really, really, really careful from whom you buy them. I chose a "Local"--"You heard the man, Tubbs!"--authorized repairer/dealer because if what he sold me did not work out I could always simply set his house on fire. If he lived on the opposite side of the globe . . . harder to deal with. Then I am stuck with a dead computer or even a stolen computer or . . . NO COMPUTER!

--J.D.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

I tend to buy "The Just Before the Next Best Thing" because the price drops.
Wha...?

I have never seen Apple drop the prices of their products shortly before the launch of a new product. In fact, it's one of the things that pisses people off about Apple -- they buy a MacBook for $1299 one day, and a week later, newer, faster, better models are released at the same price points, such that if the consumer had waited a week, they could have had a "better" product for the same price.

[Doctor X]

After the release.

--J.D.

[nixgeek]

Where do I buy a Mac/Apple product?

Why, at the Apple Store, of course! :p

[fryke]

At the authorized Apple reseller I'm working at, of course. And not just because of the very good discount I'm getting. ;) ...

[Doctor X]

. . . at fryke's store . . . as soon as I finish defeating their security.

*Points behind fryke*

"Oh, Look! Liv Tylor!

--J.D.

[fryke]

Hehe... I guess that might work, although I'm not entirely sure that can be considered "buying" your Mac.

[Doctor X]

Liv charges by the hour. . . .

--J.D.

[rubaiyat]

I buy my Macs from this really nice geezer down the Newpond Road.

His barrow's out every Saturday and he gives lifetime support + a free mouse mat.

[Satcomer]

SmallDog.com (http://www.smalldog.com/)

AppleStore (http://store.apple.com/us) (at the bottom of the page for the refurbished Macs)

Plus check out DealMac.com (http://dealmac.com/) for the latest cheapest Macs & Mac stuff online.

[rj713]

Ebay or Powermax

[lbj]

refurbished, refurbished, refurbished...

Best deal going. And as Doctor X pointed out (I think) the best time is right after a new announcement. Logic: things are already at least 15% off on the refurb store (often times more), plus, when a new model is announced, the refurb items get another 10-15% downward bump.

as an end user, they are brand new in every sense. not a scratch, stain, or blemish, plus full warranty just like brand new. only thing "wrong" is the packaging (plain brown) and they are a model behind bleeding edge (if you follow the scheme above).

if you need bleeding edge, wait about 2 months after release (not announcement) and the latest generation will start hitting the refurb store (but as mentioned above) at "only" 15% or so off.

[rj713]

On the other hand buying refurb won't get me the $420 trade in for my Emac which makes the new one cost less than $200 with the 4GB of ram.

[rubaiyat]

I've considered going the refurbished route several times, but each time have been able to negotiate something similar from my Department store.

Including 12 months free finance. Which requires some discipline but not much. The money I put aside in an interest bearing account and that goes towards my discount.

If there is anything worthwhile going I will have that bundled and get a good dicount on that as well.

I must be getting quite close to their break even point because I know Apple offers a miserable margin for their retailers.

[Randy Singer]

Apple controls who is an authorized dealer, and the territory that such dealers can sell to, very carefully, and thereby they control retail pricing by limiting competition severely. They also use what is knows as "MAP contracts" (minimum advertised price) to limit discounting. So there are no really big legitimate discounts on brand-new Apple equipment to be found. The best that you can do is to either purchase your equipment factory refurbished at a discount, or purchase it as part of a package deal including a discount on included third-party items, such as a printer or RAM.

If you see brand-new Apple products offered with a deep discount, you should be immediately concerned that it is what is known as "grey market goods." Grey market goods are products that non-Apple authorized retailers receive from authorized retailers (usually overstock, sometimes intentionally purchased to get a discount from Apple based on volume) and then sell to the public. Apple has a contractual arrangement with every authorized Apple retailer that these retailers won't "trans-ship" Apple products to non-authorized retailers. Apple most likely won't honor the warranty on grey market goods, so they are best avoided.

You can get a current model Mac, or a recently superseded model Macintosh, "factory refurbished" at a good discount. But the computer will be virtually indistinguishable from a brand new comptuer.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTIzMzI

When I toured Apple's manufacturing facility in Elk Grove, it was explained that the majority of Macs sold by Apple as refurbished had failed a test when coming down the assembly line, and had to be pulled off the assembly line and repaired. These Macs are for all intents and purposes brand-new Macs, but they can no longer legally be sold as new.

I think that a refurbished Mac is an excellent idea, as long as you get a "factory refurbished" Mac. If it is not refurbished from the factory, but rather has been refurbished by a dealer, it is quite likely that the computer was someone else's lemon, and the original problem may not be perfectly fixed.

There are only three places that I trust enough to purchase a refurbished Apple computer from them. All of their refurbs should be factory refurbs.:

- The Apple Store
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/clearance?mco=MTIzMzc
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTM3MzI

- Small Dog
http://www.smalldog.com/refurb/wag20001

- PowerMax
http://www.powermax.com/cats/disp/sv

The inventory at each of these stores varies and changes often, so you have to keep an eye on their sites to catch the best deal. The best deal often can be found at PowerMax. But lately Apple has become very competitive with refurbished Macs.

I've purchased most of the Macs that I have owned refurbished. Each one was just like new and just as reliable (maybe more so) than new.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Excellent advice; I second everything Randy said.

Refurbished Macs are like playing the lottery -- with 9:10 odds. You're likely to get a brand-new machine that just had a simple part swap-out or some other minor issue, and they come with the same warranty as brand-new Macs (although I don't think you can get AppleCare on a refurbished Mac, can you?).

[Mattbook]

Actually they are eligible for AppleCare..

Overview
Apple Certified Refurbished Products

- Quality products/great prices
- Stringent refurbishment process prior to sale
- Covered by Apple's One-Year Limited Warranty
- AppleCare Protection Plan can be purchased
- Supplies are limited

Also if you qualify for educational pricing (either a student or faculty member) take advantage of that.. Saved about $250 - $300 I think it was on mine that way..

[icemanjc]

Many of the older ones that I enjoy playing around with are from ebay. However, almost all the recent ones are from the online Apple Store.

[lbj]

Refurbs have warranties and eligibility (AppleCare) indistinguishable from brand new products.

But I have to disagree with the "lottery" comparison unless buying any new Mac is a chance/luck scenario with 9-in-10 odds.

I have never received any refurbished product that wasn't pristine in every way. The ONLY difference is the product packaging...it just isn't glossy and slick. More likely brown cardboard and shrinkwrap.

[rubaiyat]

My brand new iMac 24" Alum purchased last May had wireless networking fail on me all the time. Apple would give me endless telephone support but no actual repair. Then the powersupply failed in November and after 2 failed attempts to repair both issues, I sent it back and got a replacement iMac.

The new iMac, the wireless networking fails marginally less.

I'd say your chances with or without refurb. are about the same.

One thing I do recommend is buying AppleCare and getting rid of the Mac before the 3 years is over.

[outaru]

i get 12% discount on YNZAL my favorite local Apple Destributor