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

Purchase MBA in-store or online?

G

GoGoGadget1

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 14, 2011
39
0
I've made the decision to get a MBA 13 and will do so this week.

Are there any benefits to ordering online vs going to the store? Just curious since I see alot of people ordering online when I'm sure the Apple Store is fully stocked with MBAs. :p
 
GoGoGadget1 said:
I've made the decision to get a MBA 13 and will do so this week.

Are there any benefits to ordering online vs going to the store? Just curious since I see alot of people ordering online when I'm sure the Apple Store is fully stocked with MBAs. :p
Click to expand...

Its really your preference; its not like ordering online is any better or worse than buying in store. I think the reason many people order online is because there may not be an Apple store near them. Plus, online order is convenient for many. If you want instant gratification, buy in store (assuming you don't have the desire to buy a non "ultimate" CTO model). If you don't mind waiting a couple of days, buy online...
 
TheJing said:
I bought my Macbook Pro in a store but my Macbook Air online.

Actually I ordered it on Monday morning and on Tuesday at 1 it was at my door.
Click to expand...

:eek::eek::eek: that quick, eh? Can you take advantage of company discounts online. I'm sure it's only $50 but I'll take whatever discount I can get.

----------
Aboo said:
Its really your preference; its not like ordering online is any better or worse than buying in store. I think the reason many people order online is because there may not be an Apple store near them. Plus, online order is convenient for many. If you want instant gratification, buy in store (assuming you don't have the desire to buy a non "ultimate" CTO model). If you don't mind waiting a couple of days, buy online...
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input Aboo...instant gratification is usually my preference. :D
Wth is a ultimate CTO model? I'm going for the 1.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
 
Yea I was really surprised too. I live in Sweden and the computer came from Holland in a little over 24 hours.

I have no idea about the discounts online though, sorry.
 
This may sound a tad cynical but I really do not understand the whole retail store experience. Other than actually seeing the product first hand I never gained any real knowledge from talking to the employees. In fact, I felt more creeped out about the whole idea of becoming one of ‘them’. I’m not hating on them…they have jobs, policies to follow etc. But the whole sort of antiseptic cultish feeling I got just made me very uncomfortable. Plus the stores are always crowded and the thought of standing in line or getting a hard sell on upgrades or accessories is just a turn off. I’ve learned more in my brief time on this forum than I ever would at the store :)

All that to say, I would get your best deal and order online…imo
 
You can get into the website call mrrebates register for the account and search for the online store you might get up to 3% cash back if you purchase though the site. You have to wait for around 3 month before you get the cash back. I purchased my sony 52" HDTV with the site and it worked great!!
 
For me (I live in Singapore), I might order online to take advantage of the education discount, which is fairly significant for the MBP, but less so for the MBA (~$150 vs $60). So you may want to see if you can get a teacher friend to order on your behalf.

However, as there are many stores selling Apple products around my area, and they typically offer promotions such as discounts on MsOffice, Applecare, free ram upgrade (not anymore though) and freebies thrown in, I would actually prefer to shop at an actual store, where I can at least physically inspect my purchase on the spot and ensure it is free of any flaws or defects before paying for it. :)

The downside is that they usually carry only the stock versions, so if I wanted some other configuration (like say an Imac with in-built SSD, MBA baseline model upgraded to 4gb ram or the high-end MBA with i7 processor, they likely won't have it).
 
GoGoGadget1 said:
:eek::eek::eek: that quick, eh? Can you take advantage of company discounts online. I'm sure it's only $50 but I'll take whatever discount I can get.

----------



Thanks for your input Aboo...instant gratification is usually my preference. :D
Wth is a ultimate CTO model? I'm going for the 1.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
Click to expand...

The corporate discount should be a little more than that and worth it if you can get it :)

I received it on the two MBA's we purchased and including the AppleCare saved about 230 all up (that is in USD, I purchased in the US and I work for a US company).

One of those was the 13" Ultimate (so i7 1.8 + 256GB SSD) and in store. They tend to have the normal model combinations and the ultimate in both 11" and 13".
 
GoGoGadget1 said:
:eek::eek::eek: that quick, eh? Can you take advantage of company discounts online. I'm sure it's only $50 but I'll take whatever discount I can get.

----------



Thanks for your input Aboo...instant gratification is usually my preference. :D
Wth is a ultimate CTO model? I'm going for the 1.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
Click to expand...

Hi,

Your corporate discount with Apple should be available online as well. Your EPP store is given a specific number and will be worked into the website URL. You can ask your human resources department for this information or call up Apple sales and they can look it up for you.

CTO/BTO refers to customized or built to order. What I was saying in my original post is that Apple stores in the US do not generally carry BTO/CTO models except if its the "ultimate" 13" or 11" air.
 
GoGoGadget1 said:
I've made the decision to get a MBA 13 and will do so this week.

Are there any benefits to ordering online vs going to the store? Just curious since I see alot of people ordering online when I'm sure the Apple Store is fully stocked with MBAs. :p
Click to expand...

If you have problems with your machine ( unlikely but it happens ) you get the best service on your machine at the store you purchased it from.

There are some certain advantages of someone asking "did you buy this online or from ... " and being able to answer "no I bought it here".
 
There is really no difference other than the instant gratification of driving to the store and walking out with it. As for the comment about the store being crowded and waiting in lines, that's not really legitimate. First of all, there are no lines in Apple stores other than on the first day the iPhone is available. I went to the busiest Apple store locally this past Monday (following Friday iPhone 4s release) and it took me about 10 minutes. There are no lines. You use the iPads on the display tables to hit one button and request to be added to the queue. You can roam around and look at stuff while waiting and the sales person comes to you when its your turn. No hard sales in any Apple store I've ever been to. I told them what I wanted, I handed them my card, and someone came out with my stuff in a couple of minutes. So in the span of an hour, I drove to the store, bought my stuff, and drove back home. So the only difference was I got the stuff a couple days sooner. I also get a company discount and can "in theory" get the same discount online or in store. I think the guy gave me a little bit bigger discount than he was supposed to because thats a manual process in the store. It came up about $50 cheaper (on $3K total) than what the site showed.
 
The huge advantage of buying in store is that should you want/have to return the product within the 14day period then it's easier and less hassle to do it through the store than online/postoffice.

If you spend a lot of time away from the delivery dress you might need to pop over to the post office to pick it up which can be a nuisance, at least with the store you know you're having to go there!
 
For me, the joy of ordering online is watching the product be delivered with the tracking number. You get two highs as well, once while ordering, and a second on delivery day.

Going to the Apple Store is also nice. I'll never forget the look on the persons face when I asked to buy an iPad a good while back. They made me feel quite special and privileged. All an act, sure, but it doesn't change how I felt.

Ordering online also ensures no one will try to up-sell you anything. Apple employees are pretty good at reading people though. They know when to leave you alone and let you decide.

In the end, the best part is opening the box and using it. So it really doesn't matter. :)
 
GoGoGadget1 said:
:eek::eek::eek: that quick, eh? Can you take advantage of company discounts online. I'm sure it's only $50 but I'll take whatever discount I can get.

----------



Thanks for your input Aboo...instant gratification is usually my preference. :D
Wth is a ultimate CTO model? I'm going for the 1.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
Click to expand...

my company discount was about $100 but i went refurbished and it was even cheaper than new with the discount, i highly recommend looking online at refurbs, you get the same warranty and mine looked new i looked hard for any scratch or blemish but couldnt

think of it this way, a refurb is just a return maybe not even one that had a problem just someone that changed their mind in the first 15 days, also a refurb is looked over that second time and things can be caught that need fixing before you get it

----------
scarred said:
For me, the joy of ordering online is watching the product be delivered with the tracking number. You get two highs as well, once while ordering, and a second on delivery day.

Going to the Apple Store is also nice. I'll never forget the look on the persons face when I asked to buy an iPad a good while back. They made me feel quite special and privileged. All an act, sure, but it doesn't change how I felt.

Ordering online also ensures no one will try to up-sell you anything. Apple employees are pretty good at reading people though. They know when to leave you alone and let you decide.

In the end, the best part is opening the box and using it. So it really doesn't matter. :)
Click to expand...

great post, i felt the same way ordering it online
 
I usually order online through Amazon. It's usually cheaper than my education discount (I'm a teacher) because Amazon charges no sales tax and free shipping.
I was going to buy my wife's MacBook Air in the store this weekend, but the specialist said I was looking at a 30-45 minute wait since they were so busy, even after I told him "I don't need help, I just want to buy this computer." I told him to forget it and I would just order from Amazon. So I went on Amazon on my iPhone in the store and had it at my door the next day. I was shocked that they would make me wait that long even though I was ready to drop $1,100 bucks right that minute. It would have taken someone all of 2 minutes to grab the computer and check me out.
 
one perk of going to the store

they open the laptop up and guide you through the setup. While this isn't really necessary, if there are any issues that arise, they'll see it and replace the model they're setting up immediately.
 
The way I look at it, the package is so small that I would be afraid of UPS just throwing the individual MacBook Air onto the back of the truck.

At least with the Apple Store, you know tons of these are all shipped on a giant pallet which are all packed together securely.
 
If you can wait, just got whatever is the better deal.. I was in the same situation as you and found it to be cheaper online (also in the boat that I dont have access to apple store around me) than at best buy ($60 difference), but the main difference was apple gave me the back to school $100 gift card for buying it for school (oh yea thats why I got the student discount on apple - if you can get ahold of that it should be a smidgen cheaper)

THe wait wasnt bad... mine shipped from Shangai and was here in 2-3 days (dont remember exactly) to West Virginia.. very good IMO
 
Thanks everyone for your replies!!! I'm going to go into the store and hopefully they will have the model I want. Too bad, we can't reserve these for in-store pickup.


bwhinnen said:
The corporate discount should be a little more than that and worth it if you can get it :)

I received it on the two MBA's we purchased and including the AppleCare saved about 230 all up (that is in USD, I purchased in the US and I work for a US company).

One of those was the 13" Ultimate (so i7 1.8 + 256GB SSD) and in store. They tend to have the normal model combinations and the ultimate in both 11" and 13".
Click to expand...

I checked my corporate discount and it's definitely worth it....almost $150 off. I, too work for a US company. I'm going for the Ultimate edition as well but the EPP sales guy tells me they don't have the ultimate in stores.

Thanks a bunch for that tip!!


BadaBing!! said:
If you have a Store nearby, why not ?
Instant gratification FTW!!
Click to expand...

You're absolutely, right. Now that I found out I can use my EPP discount in-store, I'll probably go to the Apple store tonight.

----------
Abazigal said:
For me (I live in Singapore), I might order online to take advantage of the education discount, which is fairly significant for the MBP, but less so for the MBA (~$150 vs $60). So you may want to see if you can get a teacher friend to order on your behalf.

However, as there are many stores selling Apple products around my area, and they typically offer promotions such as discounts on MsOffice, Applecare, free ram upgrade (not anymore though) and freebies thrown in, I would actually prefer to shop at an actual store, where I can at least physically inspect my purchase on the spot and ensure it is free of any flaws or defects before paying for it. :)

The downside is that they usually carry only the stock versions, so if I wanted some other configuration (like say an Imac with in-built SSD, MBA baseline model upgraded to 4gb ram or the high-end MBA with i7 processor, they likely won't have it).
Click to expand...


The hubby is a professor so I can use his education if I need to, however I found my corporate discount to be more than that. Nice surprise for sure.

----------
matixryder said:
You can get into the website call mrrebates register for the account and search for the online store you might get up to 3% cash back if you purchase though the site. You have to wait for around 3 month before you get the cash back. I purchased my sony 52" HDTV with the site and it worked great!!
Click to expand...

I just checked them out online, but see they have alot....ahem..not so good reviews. Some people have gone so far to even call it a scam.

----------
Kendo said:
The way I look at it, the package is so small that I would be afraid of UPS just throwing the individual MacBook Air onto the back of the truck.

At least with the Apple Store, you know tons of these are all shipped on a giant pallet which are all packed together securely.
Click to expand...

That's a point I considered as well when I pre-ordered my 4s.....the box is sooo small. My 4s was well padded though when it arrived.

----------
johnhurley said:
If you have problems with your machine ( unlikely but it happens ) you get the best service on your machine at the store you purchased it from.

There are some certain advantages of someone asking "did you buy this online or from ... " and being able to answer "no I bought it here".
Click to expand...

Good Point. Since Apple is worldwide, I would normally consider this a non-issue but had no idea they ask if you purchased it online or in-store. Just based on my previous non-Apple purchases, buying in-store would be a good idea for this reason.

----------
slnko-v-sieti said:
When buying online I always recommend consulting AppleInsider's Mac pricing matrix to see if there are any remarkable deals on the model/build you want:
http://www.appleinsider.com/mac_price_guide/
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link....doesn't seem to be too many discounts on the Ultimate model right now. :(

----------
iisforiphone said:
my company discount was about $100 but i went refurbished and it was even cheaper than new with the discount, i highly recommend looking online at refurbs, you get the same warranty and mine looked new i looked hard for any scratch or blemish but couldnt

think of it this way, a refurb is just a return maybe not even one that had a problem just someone that changed their mind in the first 15 days, also a refurb is looked over that second time and things can be caught that need fixing before you get it

----------



great post, i felt the same way ordering it online
Click to expand...

Oh - I'm not opposed to refurbs at all. I checked them out for weeks, however the model (Ultimate 13) never comes back in stock. :(

I also just found out that I wouldn't be able to use my corporate discount on the refurbs.
 
Last edited:
GoGoGadget1 said:
Oh - I'm not opposed to refurbs at all. I checked them out for weeks, however the model (Ultimate 13) never comes back in stock. :(

I also just found out that I wouldn't be able to use my corporate discount on the refurbs.
Click to expand...

ya same for me no corporate discount on the refurb but overall it was still cheaper for me than new with the discount


ya i understand what you mean if you want specific specs than its a waiting game
 
150 off is a great discount, how much percentage is that off? BTW, did you buy your Mac yet?
 
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