Different pricing online vs apple stores?

[ptrk]

Hi all!

I live in sweden which means apple computers are ridiculously expensive...

I have a friend who is living in ny for a year so i thought she could buy me what i wanted: A 13" MBA 4gb RAM and by doing so i could save about 400USD...

The problem is that to buy online she needs an american credit card (which she doesnt have). When she went to the apple store they said that the MBA with 4gb ram was 1799USD.

My question is therefore; do apple charge differently for buying your computer in store vs online? Why is that?

Thank you in advance!

 

[stridemat]

The price she was quoted in store will probably included sales tax. The online prices do not, and will be added on at the point of sale.

 

[ptrk]

Still doesnt make sense, the price she got quoted in store was 1799 USD.

The price (before tax) online is 1399. Thats 400USD in tax... doesnt make sense right?

 

[jenzjen]

Still doesnt make sense, the price she got quoted in store was 1799 USD.

The price (before tax) online is 1399. Thats 400USD in tax... doesnt make sense right?

Some Apple stores stock the "ultimate" configuration, which is what they use to refer to a maxed out system. This is the 2.13 256 4 MBA. The processor and ram upgrade are each 100 upgrades over the base 1599 price, consistent with the online store.

 

[nhcowboy1]

Problem solved!

I called my local Apple store and asked about the price difference - the clerk told me that the model they have in the store has a larger hard drive than the online model. (It may have a faster processor also - she wasn't sure.) And, no, they can't order the less expensive model.

So, what to do, I asked her? Her suggestion: buy a gift card and use that for the online purchase!

Just go into the NY store, buy a gift card for the amount of the computer you want to buy online - and then go online and use the code from the gift card to make your purchase!

Enjoy your new computer!

 

[Brian33]

I've always seen the prices in the store are the same as online, and I'm pretty sure that's the policy. But you can't always get the BTO options in the physical store.

Your looking for a MBA 13" 1.86 GHz 128GB storage with the optional 4GB ram, for $US1399.

She probably got a quote for a 2.13 GHz 256GB storage with 4GB ram... online that goes for $US1799. (Both prices without sales tax.)

I'm guessing that the latter machine was the only one they had in stock that had the requested 4GB ram. She could try a different Apple store. She could probably call first to see what they have in stock.

Regards,
Brian33

 

[Aboo]

So,

As numerous others have said so far, basically the only models with 4GB RAM that the Apple stores stock are the 11.6" and 13.3" "ultimate" versions (i.e. maxed out RAM, processor). Hence the price discrepancy.

Now given that your friend doesn't have a card with a US billing address, this is what I would suggest:

1. Go to the local Apple store, and purchase a gift card for the value of the computer plus local sales tax
2. Go onto the apple store website and order the specific BTO machine you want with the 4GB RAM with the above purchased gift card. This should get you around the US billing address issue. Just use the same shipping and billing address.

This will allow you to get the specific BTO machine you want without having to spend the extra money for features you don't need in the ultimate configuration.

EDIT: disregard above, someone beat me to the response earlier.