Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Store vs. Applestore.com

A

alwaysrunnin

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 2, 2008
17
0
new zealand
Hi guys.
I'm about to purchase a MacBook Pro. Is there any advantage in going to an Apple store vs. buying online? My nearest Apple store is 1.5 hrs away and I hate the big city... but I'll make the trip if there is a reason to!

~Sam
 
About the only advantage to shopping in-store is that you can have the machine immediately. That is, of course, assuming that you're familiar with the products and don't want to play around with one before purchasing and don't need to talk to a salesperson or Genius about options/tips/tutorials.

The stores only carry a few configurations of each machine, so if you're planning on customizing your machine with bigger hard drive/more RAM/etc., you'll need to order online.
 
Advantages... not really. Going to the Apple Store itself means you'd be able to get your computer on the spot, as opposed to ordering it and waiting for it to arrive. However, if you were wanting something custom (say you wanted additional RAM or a larger hard disk in your MBP), the Apple Store may not have it in stock. Thus, it would probably be a good idea to order it.

But the Apple Store is quite an experience to go shopping in. I'll admit that.
 
ziggyonice said:
But the Apple Store is quite an experience to go shopping in. I'll admit that.
Click to expand...

OH I love playing in the Apple store for sure. I am going to customize it with more Ram, Aperture, MobileMe, etc., so I guess I will just order. No point in wasting gas money or time! I've always found Apple online to ship very quickly... so I can wait.

Thank you for the input, both of you! It's a big purchase for me and I want to be sure I'm doing the best I can.
:)
 
alwaysrunnin said:
OH I love playing in the Apple store for sure. I am going to customize it with more Ram, Aperture, MobileMe, etc., so I guess I will just order. No point in wasting gas money or time! I've always found Apple online to ship very quickly... so I can wait.

Thank you for the input, both of you! It's a big purchase for me and I want to be sure I'm doing the best I can.
:)
Click to expand...

you should upgrade the ram yourself you will save more money
 
immediately getting the computer at the apple store is nice, but if you are like me you may get ropped into buying something that you were not planning on buying kuz you see it at the apple store.
 
I suggest you go to the apple store - they will help you out a lot. Then again if you order online you can try and sneak a student discount.
 
I hate waiting for things so i always go to the apple store. of course it also helps that i have like 6 apple stores within 20 minutes to choose from.
 
are you a student? i think it might depend on where you live but in ct if you want to get the free ipod and printer you dont need to purchase first and then send in a rebate, they take the money off right there for you which is really nice.
 
hipvamore said:
are you a student? i think it might depend on where you live but in ct if you want to get the free ipod and printer you dont need to purchase first and then send in a rebate, they take the money off right there for you which is really nice.
Click to expand...

very interesting I'm gonna be going in to buy an imac next week. what store in CT does this?
 
I am in the same situation (buying a new macbook by the end of the month) but I actually have an Apple store less than 20 minutes away. So I was also interested in if there would be any difference between going into the store vs just ordering the laptop online.

Would it make any difference as far as ease of getting rebates done?
 
just being in the store is worth it! i have to say the apple store sure is an amazing place. I love playing around with all the cool macs and such. FUN! i have like 3 (i live in NYC) theres 2 in the city 1 in staten island mall and i thing maybe another dont know :apple:
 
sargent bannana said:
just being in the store is worth it! i have to say the apple store sure is an amazing place. I love playing around with all the cool macs and such. FUN! i have like 3 (i live in NYC) theres 2 in the city 1 in staten island mall and i thing maybe another dont know :apple:
Click to expand...

theres 3 in the city

5th ave.
soho
14th street

1 in staten island and 3 in westchester.
 
bigjnyc said:
theres 3 in the city

5th ave.
soho
14th street

1 in staten island and 3 in westchester.
Click to expand...
It's my dream to go to the one on 5th Ave. :p


I would go to the store to buy it.
The people that work there are really helpful, and you can do some last minute deciding when you mess with all of the computers.
It makes the whole experience better, most of the time.
 
Xtreambar said:
And at least 2 more on Long Island:

1 @ Roosevelt Field Mall (Garden City?)
1 @ Walt Whitman Mall (Huntington Station)
Click to expand...

It's in Garden City. Huge Mall! I grew up on the island and it used to be the place to hang out on the weekend.


And no one mentioned this before.

Apple Store = Tax
Apple.com = No Tax

That 8% on 2.5k can be LARGE.
 
fleshman03 said:
It's in Garden City. Huge Mall! I grew up on the island and it used to be the place to hang out on the weekend.


And no one mentioned this before.

Apple Store = Tax
Apple.com = No Tax

That 8% on 2.5k can be LARGE.
Click to expand...

Apple's website charges tax...
 
alwaysrunnin said:
Okay, don't laugh... is it hard to upgrade this myself?? I don't even know what to look for on newegg. Any advice, anyone?
Click to expand...

Five minutes at the most.
It's really easy.

If you were to purchase it from apple, and then see how easily you could have saved several hundred, then you would be pretty pissed. :p


Here's a how to video. It's a little over two minutes, and it goes through each step with alot of detail. :p

Video


Also, I don't know what brand you want to go with or anything, but with fantastic reviews, these sound like a solid choice. :)

RAM
 
Chandler Adaway said:
Five minutes at the most.
It's really easy.

If you were to purchase it from apple, and then see how easily you could have saved several hundred, then you would be pretty pissed. :p


Here's a how to video. It's a little over two minutes, and it goes through each step with alot of detail. :p

Video


Also, I don't know what brand you want to go with or anything, but with fantastic reviews, these sound like a solid choice. :)

RAM
Click to expand...


Wow, THANK YOU!!! Exactly the two things I needed to know. You're awesome!! :D
 
A big advantage to buying at the store is that you can test the machine before you go home with it. Last time I bought a MacBook Pro for a friend, brought it home, installed iWork and Parallels, to realize 2 hours later that there was 1 dead pixel on the screen. They accepted that they take it back, but I had to insist - one pixel is considered normal.

For the replacement machine, I paid for it, then before leaving the store I asked the sales person to boot it up for me to see if the screen was perfect. It was.

So from now on, I will always do that: Choose the machine at the store, pay for it telling them you will test it before going home. That way, if there is a dead pixel, you can get a replacement on the spot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back