Apple's 0% interest 24mo CS3/hardware deal, thumbs up or down?

[Butthead]

Sorry for the 'duplicate' thread, but the original topic wasn't addressed properly.

Already a thread about this with bad link to business part of Apple's webstore:

Apple Sends out email sayin 0% interest for 24 Month. Product Update Soon?

Correct link as of today:

I suppose you'll get the 'timed out' error, so click on the business link at the side bar of the store, then click on the CS3 lease financing details image @ upper right of pg.

http://store.apple.com/AppleStore/W...becs3_lease&wosid=X7p0NA88DWdO2sgBoRgYrvGkYBj

Seems no one is correctly answering/paying attention to the OP, the question as to whether or not this means there is an imminent update coming July 1st?

Please refer to that thread, to answer that question.

I'd just like comments on whether or not this is a good deal (assuming you can get a business acct? how does that work for a self-employed individual/contract consultant?), with detailed explanation of why?

If you could get an education discount (hehe, not saying how you do that) on a Mac & CS3 software, could you save money by just buying them outright as opposed to doing the business route?

Seeing how in 24mo, there might be a CS4, or surely other Apple software updates coming by then OSX10.6 too, and you could just sell the 24mo old hardware you bought outright, and with those profits, put that towards purchase of newer hardware?

How to figure out the math as to what is the best deal, financing is not my forté and that's usually how car dealerships make nice profits ??? And how much of a difference would it be btw buying outright w/edu discount vs paying the lease for 24mo, and then returning the hardware (tax deductions aside for depreciation/lease payments), while keeping the software?

TIA

 

[jsw]

It all depends on your finances and your use model.

Given that half of the amount financed can be software which you get to keep, and given the 0% financing, in this case, I'd say a lease might not be a bad idea at all. Suppose you buy a $5000 system (Pro and 30" monitor) and $2500 worth of software. In essence, then, about $100 of your monthly lease is paid for in that it's buying you that $2500 worth of software, and, if you have any real business use for the hardware, it should easily cover the rest of the monthly lease amount.

I think the 0% financing and the ability to keep up to half of the leased amount (software) makes it a decently good deal. Will Apple update soon? Yeah, of course, but then the deal vanishes and you'll have to pay more for that improved hardware.

If I were able to support myself doing something that's not utterly dependent on state-of-the-art hardware, I'd probably jump on this, or at least strongly consider it.