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Purchasing a Macbook for my girlfriend.

B

britishballa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 11, 2008
2
0
Orlando, FL
Hello all,

I have decided to get my girlfriend the entry level Macbook for her birthday at the end of March. I was wondering if I should buy it directly from the Apple store, being a student I get a discount but was unsure whether there is any better deals out there.

Also is now the right time to buy or should I wait till right before her birthday. I don't want to buy it and then a couple of weeks later they release updates.

One last thing, can anyone recommend a case for it? I was looking at the brenthaven edge I but it isn't exactly feminine is it.

Thanks for any input/suggestions
 
well aren't you a good bf! buying directly from the apple store with your student discount, i think, is the best deal out there. with the discount you get a great machine for around $1000. she better be a happy girl when she sees that
 
I have a hunch they won't be updating the MB for awhile, at least not until after the MBP which hasn't come out yet. So I'd go for it now to get it in time for her birthday.

And the education discount is a safe bet :)
 
Check out your (or her) school for discounts. A lot of schools (and by that I mean college o/c) offer some really good discounts on macbooks (free extras often include cases, printers, Applecare, software, etc).

Give it a try first (most allow you to view it via their websites if you have a valid ID number). If nothing else, you can always head to an Apple Store. :)
 
You might want to take the build quality of the MacBooks into account before buying it for her.

It'll turn from a gift she loves to a gift she hates when she feels how hot it gets, or has the thing start coming apart for no reason.
 
She will love the gift! As for price, $999 is a great deal with the edu discount in an Apple store. If you dont mind the hassle of rebates, you could save a few more bucks if you bought from MacMall.... they have the entry level MacBook for 1019... after the rebates. As long as you dont live in CA, you wont get charged tax... which would save you a few more bucks.

I used to deal with MacMall just because of the tax issue, but since I live so close to Delaware Apple store (tax free state), I don't bother with mail order anymore.

Either way, you are getting a great machine at a very good price.

Good Luck! :)
 
mosx said:
You might want to take the build quality of the MacBooks into account before buying it for her.

It'll turn from a gift she loves to a gift she hates when she feels how hot it gets, or has the thing start coming apart for no reason.
Click to expand...

that happens to all of them? or just yours? i don't think she is going to be walking around with it on her lap all the time. it does get hot, but who cares when you have it on a desk
 
basesloaded190 said:
that happens to all of them? or just yours? i don't think she is going to be walking around with it on her lap all the time. it does get hot, but who cares when you have it on a desk
Click to expand...

Well, the heat does affect the overall life of the system. Theres been plenty of reports of the plastic case cracking around where the CPU is due to heat.
 
mosx said:
Well, the heat does affect the overall life of the system. Theres been plenty of reports of the plastic case cracking around where the CPU is due to heat.
Click to expand...

yeah reports from people coming here to tell all of us. i think we here the bad cases and people with great machines keep their mouths shut and enjoy what they have
 
mosx said:
You might want to take the build quality of the MacBooks into account before buying it for her.

It'll turn from a gift she loves to a gift she hates when she feels how hot it gets, or has the thing start coming apart for no reason.
Click to expand...

aww, how nice of you. way to p*ss on his nice boyfriend thing he had goin' on. SADFACE!!!11.

so you had a bad experience. tens and tens of thousands of users haven't. why is it apple users who frequent forums seem to think that what happens to them is indicative of what happens to everyone? are they really as narrow minded as our windoze brethren?
 
tremendous said:
aww, how nice of you. way to p*ss on his nice boyfriend thing he had goin' on. SADFACE!!!11.

so you had a bad experience. tens and tens of thousands of users haven't. why is it apple users who frequent forums seem to think that what happens to them is indicative of what happens to everyone? are they really as narrow minded as our windoze brethren?
Click to expand...

The average Windows user is far more open minded than the average Apple fanboy ;)

However, even with Apple's smaller userbase, there seems to be a lot more complaints about them and their build quality than any of the other major manufacturers.
 
mosx said:
there seems to be a lot more complaints about them and their build quality than any of the other major manufacturers.
Click to expand...

According to what, a forum designed to help people with their problems? ;)
 
britishballa said:
Ok thanks for your help guys, I think I'm just gonna go ahead and order it from Apple.

Can you recommend any cases?
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of sleeves from Waterfield Designs. They're well-made and protect your laptop no matter what bag you choose to put them in. Plus then you can get a regular messenger bag or backpack and don't have to buy the sort of case that screams "OMG LAPTOP IN HERE."
 
britishballa said:
Hello all,

I have decided to get my girlfriend the entry level Macbook for her birthday at the end of March. I was wondering if I should buy it directly from the Apple store, being a student I get a discount but was unsure whether there is any better deals out there.

Also is now the right time to buy or should I wait till right before her birthday. I don't want to buy it and then a couple of weeks later they release updates.

One last thing, can anyone recommend a case for it? I was looking at the brenthaven edge I but it isn't exactly feminine is it.

Thanks for any input/suggestions
Click to expand...

Hey britishballa, at my college they sell older models for alot cheaper. For example, the 2.16Ghz blackbook is only $1099. The current model is 2.2Ghz @ $1499. I think it's way worth it to buy the discounted, a tiny bit slower blackbook in this case. If you think it's a good deal too u should check out your campus bookstore to see if they also have this promotion for slightly outdated macbooks.
Oh and I should note that even the white macbooks were discounted, I was just using the black one as an example because it was the best deal IMO.




killmoms said:
I'm a big fan of sleeves from Waterfield Designs. They're well-made and protect your laptop no matter what bag you choose to put them in. Plus then you can get a regular messenger bag or backpack and don't have to buy the sort of case that screams "OMG LAPTOP IN HERE."
Click to expand...

I don't really like the WF laptop case that I got. First of all it had grease or something on it, so whenever I put my macbook into the case and took it out, the corners would have this greasy residue.
 
My girlfriend loves hers. We got her a refurb, which in her case was as nice as new. She is completely happy with hers.

I think it is a very nice thing for you to do!
 
mosx said:
You might want to take the build quality of the MacBooks into account before buying it for her.

It'll turn from a gift she loves to a gift she hates when she feels how hot it gets, or has the thing start coming apart for no reason.
Click to expand...

I don't think I've seen you say a single positive thing yet.

In regards to the topic, the base MacBook would be great, usually Amazon has great deals (or the aforementioned Apple student discount), and the sooner you order it the better you're off in relation to future releases.
 
Cases

Being a woman, I like cute computer cases too other than the regular black.

For a sleeve, www.foofpod.com has some really cute ones, shipped from Australia so may take a couple weeks, but I have used several for my iPods and camera and love them. Can be used in any bag.

I also have a Timbuk2 laptop bag that I really like, durable and cute print inside! :eek:
 
britishballa said:
Ok thanks for your help guys, I think I'm just gonna go ahead and order it from Apple.

Can you recommend any cases?
Click to expand...

I just bought some cheap $5 sleeve from an eBay seller in HK because I was broke after buying the Macbook for my girlfriend. The case works. It's cheap, but it works.
 
secretpact said:
I don't really like the WF laptop case that I got. First of all it had grease or something on it, so whenever I put my macbook into the case and took it out, the corners would have this greasy residue.
Click to expand...

Weird, did you contact them about it? They have awesome customer service...

killmoms said:
I'm a big fan of sleeves from Waterfield Designs. They're well-made and protect your laptop no matter what bag you choose to put them in. Plus then you can get a regular messenger bag or backpack and don't have to buy the sort of case that screams "OMG LAPTOP IN HERE."
Click to expand...

YES!!....i purchased the simple sleeve without a flap or anything, and I love it!...I def. think its feminine. Plus, it doesn't make my mb bulky, so I can fit it in a tote or schoolbag...

I think I posted pictures of it in another thread...i forgot
 
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