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Where should I buy a new MacBook Pro?

bartenderonduty

bartenderonduty

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2010
31
0
Hello. I need help with finding the BEST deal on a new (not refurb) MacBook Pro. I am looking for the deepest discount from a reputable retailer. I prefer no tax and free shipping. Rebates are OK. Free addons are a plus.

Has anyone found a good seller that is offering good deals with good customer service? This will be my first Mac purchase (I've decided to switch from PC, finally) and could use the advise from any experienced Mac bargain shopper.

Also, if you know of the best time of the year to buy a MacBook Pro, please let me know - I'm not sure if there is a "best time of year" to buy a Mac.

I appreciate any help that anyone can offer.

Thanks!
 
Are you a student? If so the best time is going to be the summer. Apple offers a free iPod and printer as part of their Back to School promotion, as well as EDU pricing.
 
Macconnection has the new MBP 13" for $1050 after rebate. Best I have found yet. They are backordered for a few days though.
 
Not a student anymore, and don't need an iPod or printer, unfortunately, otherwise that would be a decent deal.

The 13" sounds like a smoking deal but I am leaning toward the 15" i7 or the 17" i5. Sorry for not clarifying that in my original post.
 
I've bought from MacMall for years for a variety of reasons:

  • Discounted from retail more than most
  • No sales tax
  • No shipping (typically)
  • Free Parallels via 2 rebates (this has been ongoing for a long time now)
  • and usually many other free items by way of rebates (printers, USB drives, USB hubs, etc.)

Just bought a new 17" MacBook Pro last week for $100 off retail, no sales tax, no shipping, free Parallels 5.0 and free 8GB USB thumb drive.

If you don't mind filling out rebates and waiting for them to be mailed back, I've always been happy with MacMall.
 
Hey! This is my first post here. I am in the same situation as the original poster. Just that I have been trying to find a place that sells the hi-res anti-glare versions. :confused:
Saw the option on MacMall but they are out of stock.
 
Thanks for the tip. I found a similar site called MacConnection. Anyone have any experience with them?
 
bartenderonduty said:
Thanks for the tip. I found a similar site called MacConnection. Anyone have any experience with them?
Click to expand...
What I have seen from different threads is that almost everybody recommends either MacMall or MacConection.com They seem to be good stores.
 
Great, thanks guys.

It seems like MacConnection has the best price (after rebate), a bigger selection, and somewhat better reviews.

MacMall has the freebies.

Looks like I may be going with MacConnection, unless someone knows of a better place to buy.
 
AeroPR said:
Hey! This is my first post here. I am in the same situation as the original poster. Just that I have been trying to find a place that sells the hi-res anti-glare versions. :confused:
Saw the option on MacMall but they are out of stock.
Click to expand...

MacConnection has a 15" antiglare in stock.
 
Student discount at Apple store

I have purchased from both the Apple store and MacMall, but as a student. With the student discount (is there a student in the house at all?), and the free iPod, the Apple store is hard to beat.
 
GeorgiaCat said:
I have purchased from both the Apple store and MacMall, but as a student. With the student discount (is there a student in the house at all?), and the free iPod, the Apple store is hard to beat.
Click to expand...

I was formerly a student - graduated a few years ago. Still have my university ID though.
 
Bought my G4 from MacConnection years ago with no problems. I think the deal they had going on then was for upgraded RAM. Bought my current MacBook from Apple, but now that I learn I can dodge sales tax from MacMall or MacConnection, I may buy from them again.
 
You will want to buy from a reseller. The may sell a little cheaper than Apple Store, and if that reseller doesn't have retail presence in your state, they won't charge you sales tax. And usually shipping is free.

The two best-known resellers are MacMall and MacConnection (stay away from these two, IMHO). There is also Small Dog electronics, which gets good ratings at resellerratings.com.

Personally, I have always used B&H Photo. 30 years of camera and computer purchases. They are utterly reliable, cheaper than just about anyone, don't charge sales tax, free shipping, and include Parallels 5 for free.

If you want to evaluate these various resellers, go to resellerratings.com. and look them up. You will find that MacConnection is rated fair, MacMall is rated really bad, Small Dog Electronics rated pretty good, B&H Photo rated as really exceptional. Be sure to scroll down the page for each and read the customer comments.
 
Hmac said:
The two best-known resellers are MacMall and MacConnection (stay away from these two, IMHO). There is also Small Dog electronics, which gets good ratings at resellerratings.com.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've seen that both MacMall and MacConnection are getting mixed reviews, but MacConnection overall seems to have the better reviews of the two.

Hmac said:
Personally, I have always used B&H Photo. 30 years of camera and computer purchases. They are utterly reliable, cheaper than just about anyone, don't charge sales tax, free shipping, and include Parallels 5 for free.
Click to expand...

I didn't even think to look at B&H... I've purchased from them in the past and remember receiving good service.

Thanks for the info!
 
I usually buy my computers from the Apple store. If there are any problems, they take them back without a re-stocking fee. Some of the third party vendors charge a re-stocking fee unless the computer is dead. It also eliminates the issue of the re-sellers referring you to Apple and Apple referring you back to the re-seller (place you bought it) if you have initial issues with the computer. Apple will fix a computer under warranty but they often don't want to replace one if bought elsewhere.
 
Actually, you can say you are a student at the Apple Store and there's no further questions asked, I believe. I've heard of many people buying it saying they were a student when they weren't. So you could get a discount there, if you want.
 
bartenderonduty said:
I didn't even think to look at B&H... I've purchased from them in the past and remember receiving good service.

Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...

B&H is absolutely top-notch.
 

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Readinglevelup said:
Actually, you can say you are a student at the Apple Store and there's no further questions asked, I believe. I've heard of many people buying it saying they were a student when they weren't. So you could get a discount there, if you want.
Click to expand...

Actually, I think you are right... I was able to get to the "confirm puchase" page using my student info to get the discount. Unfortunately they still charge tax.
 
If you come from a state with high taxes, then it probably nullifies any savings you get from the educational discount.

I can't seem to think of a reason to go with the the official Apple store as opposed to a reseller where you don't have to pay sales tax.
 
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