Restock fee/Student discount/Resale Value/Which is Sturdier?

[Pinkstiletto66]

I didn't see a mention of a restocking fee at apple.com. I did see that anything bought between now and up until December has up until some day in January to return. So my question is, is there a restocking fee at apple stores? I figured that I can get an 11inch and if it's blinding me, or whatever else that might be unsatisfactory a week or so from now, then I will get the MBP instead.



I notice that this air came out in June/July, which most likely means a newer version would come out the same time in 2012, if I decide to sell it for the newer one how much do you get resale wise? I'm opting for the 4gb, 128 with $50 student discount.

I have been hanging in the air section more as oppose to the pro section, and its a plus and minus because it seems like theres always an additional problem that pops up, lol. So in short, which comp is sturdier, the pro or the air? I mean common sense would assume the pro because its bigger, however I would rather not go in the pro section to read more threads. Im more focused on physical stuff, casing, battery life, screen (although I found getting a cloth as a solution to the screen denting problem.)



Regarding education discount, I will be returning in January but have not reapplied to return to school for spring. I will be doing that soon, however my school ID still works, I can get into my portal, etc ( I was enrolled last in 09.) What do I need to do to get the discount in the store. I went online, and all I noticed was I needed to enter my school, which I did, and that was that. I didn't see any additional information. I'm like "huh?" I'm sure they need some type of proof. So I'd like to know if I could still get the discount in store/online, and what do I need?



Are there better dvd drives that are better than Apples drive for the air? The last time I used a cd was a two months ago to see what it was, but usually I don't use it, unless on a rare occasion I bring my comp with me to a family get together etc. I briefly scanned some on Amazon for 30 plus dollars? Are they all basically the same? Thanks a bunch. You guys have answered many questions that help a person who might not get a good answer via google. Macforums rocks.

 

[paulrbeers]

I'll answer what I can:

Return Policy - No idea.

Resale - Most Apple products seem to retain at least 70% (you could probably get 80%+ on an Air) of their value after the first year if you want to sell it used. And yes there will most likely be a "new" MBA next year when Ivy Bridge intel processors are released (sometime after the first of the year).

Sturdier - MBP is sturdier than the MBA in my opinion. With that said, the Air is still pretty darn sturdy for a device as thin as it is. I wouldn't be concerned about this.

Educational discount - No idea. Last I knew you just needed an email address, but then again I've never bought a mac with an educational discount (the company I work for already gets a discount = if not better).

DVD drive - You can use just about any DVD/Blu-Ray external drive. You can get them for about $20 bucks online. There is no reason to buy the Apple one.

 

[Pinkstiletto66]

I'll answer what I can:

Return Policy - No idea.

Resale - Most Apple products seem to retain at least 70% (you could probably get 80%+ on an Air) of their value after the first year if you want to sell it used. And yes there will most likely be a "new" MBA next year when Ivy Bridge intel processors are released (sometime after the first of the year).

Sturdier - MBP is sturdier than the MBA in my opinion. With that said, the Air is still pretty darn sturdy for a device as thin as it is. I wouldn't be concerned about this.

Educational discount - No idea. Last I knew you just needed an email address, but then again I've never bought a mac with an educational discount (the company I work for already gets a discount = if not better).

DVD drive - You can use just about any DVD/Blu-Ray external drive. You can get them for about $20 bucks online. There is no reason to buy the Apple one.

About Ivy, its set to come out this 2012? Is there a thread about Ivy Bridge? I'd like to know what its suppose to do for the notebooks? I can imagine faster speeds, but thats all that could come to mind.

 

[johnhurley]

I didn't see a mention of a restocking fee at apple.com. I did see that anything bought between now and up until December has up until some day in January to return. So my question is, is there a restocking fee at apple stores? I figured that I can get an 11inch and if it's blinding me, or whatever else that might be unsatisfactory a week or so from now, then I will get the MBP instead.

Nothing wrong with the mbp 13 inch at all but mba 13 is lighter and about as fast and does have a higher resolution screen. For durability both are solidly built machines and probably a toss up. Someone dropping a machine or falling onto your machine can definitely hose up either one.

The 11 inch versus 13 inch thing comes up constantly. As a 13 inch owner I think it is the smarter choice and for me the 13 inch still works just fine on an airplane trip even wedged into budget seats.

Apple loves to sell to students and I don't think anyone will give you any hassle with any kind of reasonably current student id or just email address.

I guess typically in the US you have 14 days to return/exchange no questions asked maybe 30 days internationally. Not sure if that changes if you buy it online.

My guess is that some special pricing beyond student discount may be available black friday but just a guess. ( Hasn't that typically happened ? ).

No one has any clear idea about 2012 mac book air refresh yet. It seems likely at some point in 2012 but when exactly?

Given that the thunderbolt port is already present the main things that a refresh might give is a USB 3.0 port ( many many people want that ... and expect it ) along with eventually next version of intel chips.

 

[PurpleStarfish]

There's no restocking fee, even if you open the MBA up and use it for a few days. I did this with an iPad and I returned it 9 days later, no questions asked. Unless you need it ASAP, I say you should wait a little bit for the new version of MBAs to hit the Apple Refurb store. That'll save you more money than the educational discount.

 

[daftpunkstu]

there isn't a restocking fee and if you choose to sell you should easily be looking at 80-90% of its original value (so long as it has a box and all cables etc)

In my hands the MBA felt sturdier, strange I know but it had a stronger feel to it.