$400-$500 to Spend - What Should I Get?

[jw nyc]

So my bday is the 15th and my gf keeps asking me what I want. She said she's willing to spend $400-500 on a gift so I'm throwing the question out to you guys. If you could get anything from the Apple Store for $400-500 what would it be? I have a MBP laptop and not much else from Apple but am curious what else would be worth it to get (not an iPhone...had to switch back to the Blackberry for work related reasons and will be waiting for the 3G version). Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[thegoldenmackid]

So my bday is the 15th and my gf keeps asking me what I want. She said she's willing to spend $400-500 on a gift so I'm throwing the question out to you guys. If you could get anything from the Apple Store for $400-500 what would it be? I have a MBP laptop and not much else from Apple but am curious what else would be worth it to get (not an iPhone...had to switch back to the Blackberry for work related reasons and will be waiting for the 3G version). Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

If you are waiting for a 3G, THEN DO NOT GET A TOUCH, you won't make the money back, and its going to happen this year (please, don't debate this, just settle it at: if wanting an iPod touch really bad, get it, otherwise we shall assume that the 3G iPhone will be bought this year)

Some Suggestions:
Decent Headphones/earphones
External Hard Drive
Printer
A Gift Card for the iPhone?
A Mac Mini?

It's kinda what you want....

[heatmiser]

Have her save the money. Ten years from now, you won't even remember whatever material crap you blew half a grand on. If you save it for something you truly need instead, you won't regret it when that need comes around.

[GimmeSlack12]

Some good running shoes and the Nike+.

[Westsider 4 Mac]

I would get the $$, stick it in a savings account and forget about it til June. The ipod touch will be upgraded along with the iphone by then.:apple:

[jw nyc]

LOL so I think the majority vote is to not get anything from her for my bday and save the money? Sounds like a fun birthday gift and that's EXACTLY the advice on came for macrumors.com for!!!!

[iMpathetic]

All right, fine. Here's one I'm in the process of doing!

Why not get a nice Quicksilver Power Mac G4, upgrade it with tons of hard drives, and use it as a server? :)

TO OTHERS: Don't even tell me "blah blah blah mini's better blah blah blah", cause you're wrong.

[jw nyc]

If I were to get a really nice computer speaker system which would you guys recommend?

[themanfromvlad]

Time Capsule.

Final Cut Express and a cheap DV cam so you two can make love movies.

[benbondu]

LOL so I think the majority vote is to not get anything from her for my bday and save the money? Sounds like a fun birthday gift and that's EXACTLY the advice on came for macrumors.com for!!!!

You don't need to save the money, but blowing $500 at the Apple Store isn't likely to be very fulfilling, especially if you're having trouble thinking of anything you want. I think that would be the general concensus of most people here.

There are lots of other things to blow money on though; concerts, plays, nice restaurants, etc. All great birthday presents. You could even stretch it into a weekend trip somewhere. That's what I'd do if I had a girl with loads of money.

[Salavat23]

Ram, new HDD?

External drive?

[cheekybobcat]

Honestly, I would suggest asking for the cash and saving it or getting a gift card. With all the rumors about Apple updating most of its line of products (computers and iPhone pretty much), nothing right now is really worth buying.

However, I would suggest buying:
-An external hard drive, like 500GB or so...
-External monitor, keyboard, mighty mouse
-the next generation Mac Mini
-take a look around the Apple store for software and see if you want any of that...
-wait for 3G iPhone and get that (this is what I would do...)

A gift card would probably would be the best thing though.

Happy birthday though :)

[GimmeSlack12]

Nice new watch.
New Car Stereo.
12-String Guitar (my pick).
New snow skis.
Harmony TV remote.

[digitalnicotine]

Would the speakers be mainly for listening to music? Perhaps check out the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40's (http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Studiophile-AV-Powered-Speakers/dp/B000MUXJCO/ref=pd_bbs_3?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1207774322&sr=8-3). I use an older model of the same speakers to play around in Garage Band, and am pleased with the sound. Also, Klipsch, and Gigaworks (Creative) make some nice desktop speakers. Good luck on your decision. Your girlfriend must care a lot about you to spend so much money on your birthday. Happy birthday early!

[heatmiser]

On a serious note, I'll say it again: save your money! If you absolutely must spend a piece of it, spend it on a good time and not on a piece of e-junk. Go to dinner, to the movies, to an amusement park, to the beach, to a lodge in the woods, to a concert, to the theatre, etc. You'll treasure the memories far more if you share an experience together than if you buy some disposable item you won't give a twit about six months from now.

[Capt Underpants]

If you can't think of anything that you want/need from the apple store, then there's no sense in spending $500 there. Seems like wasted money to me...

[jw nyc]

If you can't think of anything that you want/need from the apple store, then there's no sense in spending $500 there. Seems like wasted money to me...

Good point...there are a bunch of things I WANT but I was just asking for some suggestions.

[Robbadore64]

I kinda like my AppleTV I bought on a whim a few weeks ago. You can kill countless hours watching people show you how to make balloon animals (guilty of blowing an hour of my life on that the other night) on Youtube. I mean, if it's free...... get one of those and then go out to dinner. Else I'd opt for a time capsule.

But seriously, if it were me, I'd have her set up a nice night out, dinner, hotel etc. Memories are better than materials.

[digitalnicotine]

What about a PS3?

[iMpathetic]

About the speaker systems, I've heard that the Bose Companion IIs and Harman/kardon Soundsticks are pretty good speakers. I have the JBL Creatures, and while the did cost me $40, they're better than any I've ever used.

[Robbadore64]

Anyway, I was thinking about the Apple TV but my main issue is that I can't use it with the DIVX & XVID movies that I download LOL.

That would be a setback. My videos are only ones I've ripped from my own (mainly my kid's) DVDs via handbrake. I haven't looked into it in some time, but I think I recall seeing hacks out there for AppleTV to play other video types.

Not trying to sell you on it, just a neat device, especially when it's 'free'. But it's real nice having my 50 gig audio library available in my living room without needing my iMac on at all.

Never heard of a "Tween". Maybe I'm just too old (32)

[GorillaPaws]

I was going to say shares of Apple Stock, but then I just checked the share price: $151.44 Ouch, seems kind of high given the current economic state of the US (I'm no stock guru though). If the price drops significantly between now and your birthday, that would always be a nice option since its a gift that will keep giving.

And this is a great thread, just keep the personal attacks to a minimum so it doesn't get locked. I thought you were 15 too when I first read it (I'm dyslexic though so I have a bit of an excuse) LMAO. Anyways, happy birthday, and a big grats on landing a girl who likes to spend money on you--that's not an easy task by any means.

[jamie329]

To the OP. For $500, I would start with a nice big external hard drive. Something really sleek looking like the MyBook Studio. I think it's got Firewire 800 (400 for sure), so it'll be really fast. You'll still have probably $300 left over that you could use to go on a weekend trip or something. It's your birthday, so go out and buy something for yourself. Who cares if you won't use it 1, 2, or 3 years from now? A birthday present isn't supposed to be an investment in the future, it's supposed to be an impulse buy that'll really enjoy right now.

About the speaker systems, I've heard that the Bose Companion IIs and Harman/kardon Soundsticks are pretty good speakers. I have the JBL Creatures, and while the did cost me $40, they're better than any I've ever used.

I've got the Companion 2's, and they're great for the price (sub $100). But the Companion 5's sound amazing, and I think they're right around the $500 dollar mark, maybe just under. They look great too.

[Hawkeye411]

So my bday is the 15th and my gf keeps asking me what I want. She said she's willing to spend $400-500 on a gift so I'm throwing the question out to you guys. If you could get anything from the Apple Store for $400-500 what would it be? I have a MBP laptop and not much else from Apple but am curious what else would be worth it to get (not an iPhone...had to switch back to the Blackberry for work related reasons and will be waiting for the 3G version). Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

How about a College Fund??

[Peterkro]

4 grams of Charlie and a case of Champagne.

[jay1097]

Why don't you match her contributions and take a quick vacation. Something you both can enjoy.

Otherwise if you need something get a membership to the gym, or like someone else said a time machine.

[dukebound85]

remember she wants to get you a gift

which means she does not want you to save it. i know i would think it would be rude if i gave 500 and they just "saved it"

id reccomend a great dinner and a weekend getaway

or use that gift money towards an engagement ring and yea that would be sweet ( you did say you were getting married probably right?)

or get a portrait, photoshoot of you two as a couple


i would not get anything electronic as they have ZERO sentimental value


come to think of it, shouldnt she be deciding the gift and not you? lol i hate money as gifts persoanlly as it screams to me that they have no idea what id appreciate or like.

insist she pick out the gift. thats what i would do!

[gcmexico]

you have to go with the Apple TV...I love it!:D

[Muncher]

Tell her to give you the money, and that what you get will be a surprise. Buy something selfish (ipod nano, etc.), and spend the rest of the money on something you can do together. That way, she doesn't think you're spending all the money on her, when she gave it to you, and you get a great day with her and a little present for the next couple of months to a year. :D

[DaveF]

So my bday is the 15th and my gf keeps asking me what I want. She said she's willing to spend $400-500 on a gift so I'm throwing the question out to you guys. If you could get anything from the Apple Store for $400-500 what would it be? I have a MBP laptop and not much else from Apple but am curious what else would be worth it to get (not an iPhone...had to switch back to the Blackberry for work related reasons and will be waiting for the 3G version). Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

If it were me, with $400+ at the Apple Store, I'd get an iPod Nano and a Time Capsule.

Another fun choice is the iPod Touch. It's in the budget. And unlike the iPhone, doesn't have future recurring costs, so it's a "pure" gift -- not a gift that keeps on taking :)

[skiesforme]

If I were to get a really nice computer speaker system which would you guys recommend?
$400-500 can buy you lots of goodies. I hope my suggestions help you get the best. :)
You suggested you would like to have a good set of computer speakers.
Suggestion1: $109
Harman Kardon Soundsticks II (http://www.amazon.com/Soundsticks-II-3-Piece-Multimedia-Speaker/dp/B0001DBEM4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1207785119&sr=8-1). I got these as my birthday gift a month back and I must tell you, these are one of the best in this price range. They look stunning as well.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4116YT828DL._SS500_.jpg
So you are left with around 400$ more.
I saw you suggested you download lots of divx and xvid movies.
Suggestion 2: $60
Philips DVP5982 USB direct 1080p DivX multiformat DVD player (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N254LU/ref=pd_cp_e_2?pf_rd_p=250314601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NNTSAW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1W28YMNTXADHQWXXVS91)
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/d6/76/3ad590b809a022a4cfff6110.L.jpg

Left with $340 odd.
Suggestion 3: $75-$100
Get her a decent Fossil watch. That would cost you about $100.
http://s7ondemand7.scene7.com/is/image/FossilPartners/ES1739_main?$fossil_detail$

Left with $240:
Suggestion 4: $140
Logitech Harmony 880 Universal remote (http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/d6/76/3ad590b809a022a4cfff6110.L.jpg). This would serve you guys well if you have a good home theater / DVD player / Cable box etc etc ..
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DGYVDFE1L._SS500_.jpg


Left with $100:
Suggestion 5: :)
I thought I would suggest a Digital picture frame (http://www.amazon.com/Philips-6-5-Inch-Digital-Photo-Frame/dp/B000VEUU5U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1207786025&sr=1-4) which you guys could use to cherish memories and times spent together. I would say use this for a romantic times together.
BUT, If I was you I would use this for buying her roses and a romantic dinner at some place both of you like.

Hope this helps...and yes Happy Birthday in advance ! ;)

[DaveF]

Left with $240:
Suggestion 4: $140
Logitech Harmony 880 Universal remote (http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/d6/76/3ad590b809a022a4cfff6110.L.jpg). This would serve you guys well if you have a good home theater / DVD player / Cable box etc etc ..

Spend the whole $240 on the Harmony One (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/devices/3898&cl=us,en). Best remote out.

[Salavat23]

In the interest of your relationship, and I would recommend spending it on an activity or something that you can both use and share;)

[thegoldenmackid]

Speakers
Logitech Z-5500
Really you are better off with either:
A. receiver and bookshelf's
B. monitors

[jw nyc]

Okay since this thread has been so much fun I guess I will update it with what I decided:

1. Slingbox Solo - $155
2. Airport Express - $99
3. Bose Companion 2 - $99

Figured I'd save her some money and get three great gifts for less than $400. I appreciate all the suggestions and definitely agree that "memories are worth more than material things." But we go out all the time and just got back from Hawaii so I take care of her well in that regard! Thanks for the help guys...and thanks mods for not closing the thread after a little bickering early on LOL.

[QCassidy352]

my birthday is also the 15th. Yay for tax day babies. :)

I think your choices are good... but IMO, it's nicer to be surprised. :)

[acearchie]

1. Slingbox Solo - $155
2. Airport Express - $99
3. Bose Companion 2 - $99


Bose: Buy Other Sound Equipment

I think the speakers are a good choice but bose isnt the brand you want. Sure the quality is good but you are really paying for the name and could get a similar quality for half the price!

Just my 2 pence! ha

[LeahM]

What about Wireless headphones? I know that was the best gift I got my bf. Now I don't have to listen to his war movies while I'm trying to sleep. Plus he likes his music WAY louder then I do.

[bobbleheadbob]

Have her get you an :apple: gift card for whatever amount she was going to spend. Then hang onto it until June/July and put it towards your 3G iPhone when it comes out! :D

[thegoldenmackid]

Bose: Buy Other Sound Equipment


Just my 2 pence! ha
Boy!
Oh,
Soo
Expensive

[thegord]

Time Capsule.

Final Cut Express and a cheap DV cam so you two can make love movies.

hah i concur with this, or just tell her all you want to do is spend the day with her and go out to dinner. thats quite a bit of cash. go on a weekend getaway. theres other things then electronics. i would rather have a memory then some object but thats myself

[aaronw1986]

Does it need to be from the apple store? I'd go for a dSLR, that's what I'm saving for.

[JasonK]

Shure e530's. Then listen to self help tapes for a couple hours to help you forget about the fact you dropped $500 on headphones (it might work ;)). After you forget about how much you spent, you will not regret the purchase.

[Eric Lewis]

What about a PS3?

do they sell those at Apple Stores? must me new?


a gift card! whooo

[digitalnicotine]

do they sell those at Apple Stores? must me new?


a gift card! whooo

Ah, I missed the part about it having to be purchased at the Apple store. We don't have them where I live :(. But I haven't seen any gaming consoles on their website.

[joeybagadonutz]

When is her Birthday? I don't want to know the answer. However, I hope you know and are ready. The exchange rate should be similar to the dollar to euro.

[vga4life]

I'd actually recommend a pair of Audioengine A5 powered speakers and optionally an Airport Express to drive them.

White:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OB16ZI
http://www.audioengineusa.com/store/images/a5_w_1_275w.jpg

Black:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OABTPQ
http://www.audioengineusa.com/store/images/a5_b_1_275w.jpg

Bamboo:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013IZ3FA
http://www.audioengineusa.com/store/images/A5N.jpg

[iMpathetic]

He's already bought stuff, but out of curiosity, can these be hooked straight up to a computer?

[theMaccer]

Get a Wii, an extra controller and some games.

[nick9191]

Drugs, women, booze.

[thegoldenmackid]

He's already bought stuff, but out of curiosity, can these be hooked straight up to a computer?

Yes