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buy soon or wait?

M

m.r.m.

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 25, 2003
181
0
Germany
hi guys,

i´ll be visiting the u.s. end of sept. - middle of oct.
i want to buy a 12" powerbook with the cram and jam discount and a 20" cinema display (and apple care for all). i was thinking of doing it as soon as i arrive and asking the apple store to maybe hold it for me (if such a thing is possible), because i plan on doing a east coast tour + chicago with a buddy of mine (grayhound + backpack :D ). now my question is, should i try and buy the stuff at once or wait until the end of my trip? i remember the last time i bought my ipod just before the harddrives were updated. i didn´t feel to peeved about that, but if the pb price drops and/or the cpu speed gets bumped up and/or the 12" gets the backlight keyboard (which i adore), i most certainly would be unhappy. then again the cram and jam deal only goes until 25th sept. (a friend of mine wants me to bring him an ipod from the states, so that takes care of the ipod i wouldn´t be needing). i have saved a long time to indulge in this and i won´t be able to travel to the states for a couple of years. i only have just about enough to afford the listed items. i like apple computers and i need a laptop for college (and my doctor thesis in cardiology. i was thinking of incorporating some heart muscle film into my presentations). any insights are greatly appreciated. thanks for the trouble. :)
 
It's doubtful that the PB's will be updated again this year, so I would buy now. The displays definetely will not and neither will the iPods. :)

Hope you have a great time over here,
JOD8FY
 
Buy it when you arrive if you get here in time for Cram and Jam. Otherwise, wait until the end. Generally, I'd say you should always wait as long as possible - if you don't really need it - and then buy the best system you can afford. After that, ignore the Apple site for a few months. ;)
 
thanks guys. i'm still a little indecisive, but i think you guys are right. if i can make cram and jam, i should go for it, i guess. :-/
 
If you make it by the 25th and go for Cram and Jam, then keep everything sealed up (which I think you were going to do anyway), enabling you to return it within 10 days, no questions asked. That would give you another week and a half for possible announcements - not that there will be any.
 
jsw said:
Buy it when you arrive if you get here in time for Cram and Jam. Otherwise, wait until the end. Generally, I'd say you should always wait as long as possible - if you don't really need it - and then buy the best system you can afford. After that, ignore the Apple site for a few months. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure this is good advice. If you buy it in the US, your warranty is only good in the US(I think, as technically you aren't allowed to "export" Apple products). If something goes terribly wrong, it will probably happen in the first few weeks you own it. My advice would be the opposite, since they announced a revision not too long ago, they probably are not going to update it while you are here. I would get it as soon as you can and of course use it! Hopefully everything will work out great, but if it doesn't, you have the option of getting it repaired without having to go through a lot of hassle.
 
w00tmaster said:
I'm not so sure this is good advice. If you buy it in the US, your warranty is only good in the US(I think, as technically you aren't allowed to "export" Apple products). If something goes terribly wrong, it will probably happen in the first few weeks you own it. My advice would be the opposite, since they announced a revision not too long ago, they probably are not going to update it while you are here. I would get it as soon as you can and of course use it! Hopefully everything will work out great, but if it doesn't, you have the option of getting it repaired without having to go through a lot of hassle.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure the "greyhound + backpack" description of his trip would leave much time for charging the PB, plus it'll be pretty exposed. However, I agree with you that he should probably leave time to play with it to ensure that it works.
 
Does anybody know how this actually works?

w00tmaster said:
I'm not so sure this is good advice. If you buy it in the US, your warranty is only good in the US(I think, as technically you aren't allowed to "export" Apple products).
Click to expand...

AppleCare has global repair coverage for portable products, but I'm not sure what would happen if this guy tried to register his newly-purchased products with a non-U.S. address. Has anybody ever purchased a computer in the U.S. and tried to register it with a foreign mailing address?

And what happens if you register your computer and then decide to move abroad? Can you switch countries once you have created an Apple ID?
 
why shouldn´t it be possible to buy a laptop and then move to another country? many journalists spend extended amounts of time in foreign countries and often move there as well. i read through all the info i could find about apple care and i couldn´t find anything indicating, that apple care wouldn´t provide me global coverage.

thanks for the advice on keeping it sealed up. actually i don´t have a choice, because basically i´m going to buy in wash. d.c. and pick it up in a boston apple store (if that´s possible). if that isn´t possible i guess i´ll not be buying the display, because there is no way i can carry a 20" display with me for 3 weeks. however i certainly hope apple will be able to accomodate my difficult "demands", because it really shouldn´t be to hard for them to process the order and send it to a boston apple store and have it waiting for me. i´d be paying in advance.

maybe i could test it in the boston apple store (at pickup) to make sure there are no dead pixels and such? the reason i´m so hopeful is, i´ve always gotten great service in the u.s. if this were germany i wouldn´t even dream of trying all this.
 
From my experience with buying PB's I would say...

Buy it right when you get here. When I first got my PB, the whole logic board was mounted incorrectly. As a result, when I took my PB out of the box for the first time the touchpad was all messed up. I brought it back to the Apple store the next day and they were glad to replace the whole PB for me. You might just notice something on your trip that isn't quite right with your new baby, and you wouldn't want to get back to good ole' Deutschland and be out of luck... :cool:
 
Hmmm

Me, I'd buy it now. From everything I've read, no update is likely anytime soon. At least in terms of a G5 powerbook. I've been debating myself whether to go for it or not and I think I'm gonna buy a souped up, fully loaded 15" next week!
 
m.r.m. said:
hi guys,

i´ll be visiting the u.s. end of sept. - middle of oct.
i want to buy a 12" powerbook with the cram and jam discount and a 20" cinema display (and apple care for all). i was thinking of doing it as soon as i arrive and asking the apple store to maybe hold it for me (if such a thing is possible), because i plan on doing a east coast tour + chicago with a buddy of mine (grayhound + backpack :D ). now my question is, should i try and buy the stuff at once or wait until the end of my trip? i remember the last time i bought my ipod just before the harddrives were updated. i didn´t feel to peeved about that, but if the pb price drops and/or the cpu speed gets bumped up and/or the 12" gets the backlight keyboard (which i adore), i most certainly would be unhappy. then again the cram and jam deal only goes until 25th sept. (a friend of mine wants me to bring him an ipod from the states, so that takes care of the ipod i wouldn´t be needing). i have saved a long time to indulge in this and i won´t be able to travel to the states for a couple of years. i only have just about enough to afford the listed items. i like apple computers and i need a laptop for college (and my doctor thesis in cardiology. i was thinking of incorporating some heart muscle film into my presentations). any insights are greatly appreciated. thanks for the trouble. :)
Click to expand...

I did exactly the same thing, although when i got mine, i already had an iPod, so there was no point doing the 'Cram and Jam' deal, but I am more than happy with my DeskTop replacement, it really blows my PMG4 out of the water, and it is the right size to be a portable, although yours would be even better as a portable, with the power of a Desktop. Did you ever think to look at Apple refurbished units. Currently on the apple site (us site, type refurbished in on the search bar) and it will come up with a list of refurbs.
Apple Web Site (Obviously not a Member If This Forum) said:
Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel) - Refurbished
$1,099.00
20" diagonal viewable image size, 1680 x 1050 optimal resolution, 16.7 million colors, ADC display connector, two USB ports

PowerBook G4 1.33GHz/256MB/60GB/Combo/AP Extreme Card/E/12"-Aluminum-Refurbished
$1,349.00
with 256MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, Combo drive, AirPort Extreme card, ethernet port, aluminum alloy enclosure

PowerBook G4 1.33GHz/256MB/60GB/SuperDrive/AP Extreme Card/E/12"-Aluminum-Refurbished
$1,549.00
with 256MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme card, ethernet port, aluminum alloy enclosure

Pod 15GB (Includes Dock and carrying case) - Refurbished
$199.00
with iPod Dock, carrying case w/ belt clip, wired remote, Apple earphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, PC FireWire adapter

iPod 20GB (Includes Dock and carrying case) - Refurbished
$249.00
with iPod Dock, carrying case w/ belt clip, wired remote, Apple earphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, PC FireWire adapter

iPod 30GB (Includes Dock and carrying case) - Refurbished
$279.00
with iPod Dock, carrying case w/ belt clip, wired remote, Apple earphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, PC FireWire adapter

iPod 40GB (Includes Dock and carrying case) - Refurbished
$329.00
with iPod Dock, carrying case w/ belt clip, wired remote, Apple earphones, AC adapter, FireWire cable, PC FireWire adapter
Click to expand...
I don't know weather Cram and Jam is with refurbs too, but you should look and see.

I Hope this is of some assistance, good luck with the purchase, and keep us posted.
 
first off, thanks for the effort. :)

the display is a little cheaper than the edu price ($1169). the powerbooks are the same price, so i´ll opt for new! :D

my buddy doesn´t want a refurb ipod. since he´s paying, that´s fine by me. :D
 
m.r.m. said:
first off, thanks for the effort. :)

the display is a little cheaper than the edu price ($1169). the powerbooks are the same price, so i´ll opt for new! :D

my buddy doesn´t want a refurb ipod. since he´s paying, that´s fine by me. :D
Click to expand...

No problems, I was on the site anyways, I am looking at a refurb G5, so when I browsed over your thread, I thought I would help out. The prices vary from day to day, so as your trip becomes closer, look again, and there may be a computer to look at then.
 
m.r.m. said:
why shouldn't it be possible to buy a laptop and then move to another country? many journalists spend extended amounts of time in foreign countries and often move there as well. i read through all the info i could find about apple care and i couldn't find anything indicating, that apple care wouldn't provide me global coverage.

thanks for the advice on keeping it sealed up. actually i don't have a choice, because basically I'm going to buy in wash. d.c. and pick it up in a boston apple store (if that's possible). if that isn't possible i guess i´ll not be buying the display, because there is no way i can carry a 20" display with me for 3 weeks. however i certainly hope apple will be able to accommodate my difficult "demands", because it really shouldn't be to hard for them to process the order and send it to a boston apple store and have it waiting for me. i´d be paying in advance.

maybe i could test it in the boston apple store (at pickup) to make sure there are no dead pixels and such? the reason I'm so hopeful is, I've always gotten great service in the u.s. if this were germany i wouldn't even dream of trying all this.
Click to expand...

It might be a good idea to call Apple and ask them about a purchase in the US and then going overseas.

What Boston Apple Store will you be picking up your PowerBook? I was glad that you clarified about the Cinema Display, because I was wondering about the trip factor. It might just be best not to order at Washington, DC. Just purchase here in Boston.

I would think that you could test it at the store. The Genius Bar would be a great place.

I possible while you are in Boston, would consider it to meet you at the store or a coffee shop while you are visiting?
 
i have no clue where the apple stores in boston are. i´ll have to check that out. i´ll be happy to meet you in boston, if you like. you could join my buddy and myself for a couple of drinks in a club maybe or join us touring the city. maybe coffe break in a café, ohh the possibilities are endless. :D

maybe i should order in advance (in a certain apple store) and pick it up on a specified date?!

where is the genius bar?
 
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