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Please suggest strategy for kid going to Europe

M

Manfred

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 17, 2007
22
0
North Carolina
Learned Denizens of MacRumors:

My 19 year old son is headed to Europe to study this summer. He has an imac, but neither of us thinks it is a good idea to take that with him. He suggested getting a mac laptop off of ebay. He says the prices are between $150 and $600. I note that currently there is a refurbished MacBook 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo listed on the online Apple Store for about $800. My gut reaction is to get something from the Apple Store rather than worry about what might or might not arrive from an unknown ebay guy.

I will appreciate any thoughts and alternative suggestions that you might have.

Thanks.
 
I'd go for an official Apple refurb over eBay, especially when you're talking about $800. The refurb will also come with Apple's worldwide warranty for a full 12 months, so will definitely cover his stay.
 
I have bought two Apple laptops from eBay, no problems I'm glad to say. :)

But being realistic, buying direct from an Apple store is probably the better way to go.:cool:

FJ
 
Refub sounds like a good idea...then if its breaks, he can go get it fixed. And since he'll be studying, thats important.
 
If you can, go for the refurb or something 100% legit and consider getting AppleCare. You get much better support over the phone, especially while overseas. I made sure I had AppleCare when I was abroad last year and I'm glad I did. Saved me some minutes on my cell phone.
 
I would definitely go with the refurb. Spring for the Core2Duo model if you can, but refurbs are definitely the way to go. I'm typing to you on a refurb mac mini right now, and I absolutely love it.

Here are some other sugggestions:

Undercover - since he will be abroad in uncharted territory, it may be wise to make this investment. This is some fantastic anti-theft software for your portable mac

Definitely get the travel adapter kit from Apple

Make sure to invest in a good case, like the back packs from Targus or Axio. Also, it never hurts to get a sleeve for the MB, like the one from inCase.


Hope he enjoys the macbook!
 
hircus said:
You'd be more likely to backpack through Europe by train, etc. -- just because public transportation is better.
Click to expand...


THe chances of getting pickpockted or stomething stolen depends on where you are in Europe. Either way play it safe when you're traveling. Generally I didn't bring my computer when I travelled. But when I was at home, my computer would be on my desk, door and window wide open. I lived in an apartment with great people though. Friends who lived in dorms in other countries chose to bring to cables and chain their laptops (probably a wise $20 investment).
 
Manfred said:
Learned Denizens of MacRumors:

My 19 year old son is headed to Europe to study this summer. He has an imac, but neither of us thinks it is a good idea to take that with him. He suggested getting a mac laptop off of ebay. He says the prices are between $150 and $600. I note that currently there is a refurbished MacBook 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo listed on the online Apple Store for about $800. My gut reaction is to get something from the Apple Store rather than worry about what might or might not arrive from an unknown ebay guy.

I will appreciate any thoughts and alternative suggestions that you might have.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

you should get him two of those macbooks so he can sell the other when in europe for €800 :)
 
sjo said:
you should get him two of those macbooks so he can sell the other when in europe for €800 :)
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, but I am afraid that he would pocket the profit. Are you old enough to have a 19 year old kid?

Thanks a bunch. Before 8:00 this AM, I ordered a refurbed macbook for $800 plus about $50 in tax. As soon as it gets here, I will call for the Apple Care. He already has a pretty good iMac, so this is just for his travels.

In fact, this might be exactly what I need. I have an ancient Dell running MS2000. It is about on its last legs. Some things run slow; some things don't run. I was holding out for the new OS X.5, iWork 07, and the new hardware that is likely to come from it. Now I can use this new macbook until he leaves in mid-May, use his iMac from mid-May until he comes back in late August, and then see where we are with the pending iMac hardware.

Thanks guys. This has turned out wonderfully.
 
I don't trust ebay for expensive things. Don't know if that's rational or not, but so far I haven't lost money. :)

You should try out the MacBook before you commit to it. It might be just too small and cramped. I'm not saying it will be - its just different people have different opinions. I personally could not use a MB for writing, and even my PB feels small after using my external keyboard and display all day. But other people I know love their iBooks, MBs, etc.

If you want something bigger than try a used late model PB or early model MBP. You can buy it locally from Craigslist and then sell it when you get back. Or you could sell the iMac and move up to a refurb MBP.
 
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