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Returning my MBP (I want my MBP!!!)

A

akadmon

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 30, 2006
2,006
2
New England
Sorry about the ambiguous title :eek:

Can an Apple product (in this case a MBP) purchased in the Apple's online store (or ordered over the phone) be returned at an Apple retail store?

I have been waiting to buy a MBP for my daughter since Fall and both of us are at the end of our respective ropes. I think there is an outside chance something will be released, or announced (or at the very least we'll start hearing some , ekhem, solid rumors) in the next few weeks. She's just about given up, and is ready to settle for a Dell XPS M1530, and frankly I'm also starting to lean that way, as I'm not particularly keen on paying a $700-900 premium (depending on the options) for a MBP, given that Dell is heavily discounting the XPS in advance of the Penryns. Still, I really really really want her to have a Mac (it'll be her college machine). So the strategy I'm thinking of that may help me ride through this difficult period and avoid the temptation to go with the XPS is to delay delay delay. I'm thinking of waiting till next Tuesday (next possible MBP announce date), then ordering a customized MBP (which will delay things by another week), and then keeping it unopened for the following 2 weeks, with the hope that in the meantime the MBP update will finally happen, or, as I said earlier, that we will at the very least start hearing some definite rumors. When that happens, I plan to exchange the "old" MBP for a new one, or, just return it and start the waiting process all over again, but this time with a lot more hope that the end is near. The other reason for all this is that I'm a few thousand miles short of free ticket on United to Europe, and I need to spend some money soon to get me over the hump so that I can have a better choice of flights :) What do you guys think about my little scheme?
 
akadmon said:
then ordering a customized MBP (which will delay things by another week)
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the Build-to-order MBP's are not returnable unless they are DOA. Not sure about taking it back to an apple store, there isn't one anywhere near me.
 
DocSmitty said:
Pretty sure the Build-to-order MBP's are not returnable unless they are DOA. Not sure about taking it back to an apple store, there isn't one anywhere near me.
Click to expand...

Bummer. I forgot about that :( I want a faster/larger hdd, so a stock machine is not an option. That's one of the reasons I'm waiting for an update, which will hopefully make it easier to upgrade the hdd oneself. Damn damn damn!!! That XPS is starting to look more and more real :mad::(
 
I'd either wait or buy a Dell. Even if Apple releases a new MBP it will be 2-3 weeks before they are available, probably more because so many people are waiting for one.

I am getting tired of waiting and I blame myself for following this site so closely and getting my hopes artificially raised.
 
1) DO NOT buy a Dell Laptop.
2) Go to Apple.com
3) Find 2.4gHz MacBook Pro
4) Add 7200RPM HDD
5) Purchase
6) Go to Buy.com purchase 2 - 2Gb Sticks RAM
7) Wait...
 
No point in waiting. The current MacBook Pros will last longer than the next generation Dell etc... as they'll still run the latest version of OS X in several years (try running Vista on a 4 year old PC).

Don't look at the specs, look at what you're going to be able to do with each computer. You never buy a car based on how many BHP it has, or a stereo by how many watts it's capable of producing...

And if you are going to buy a PC, don't get a Dell, their components are unbelievably low quality...
 
why would anyone buy a dell?!
there the biggest pieces of crap ever.
an hp, ok. sony, maybe.
dells are so horrible.

and u wont get any skymiles if u return stuff.
they've thought of that already.
why go thru the hassle of buying and returning over and over if ur not going to open it and wait for an update.
u might as well not go thru the hassle and wait.

if u cant wait any longer.
then wait until the mba ships.
if nothing comes up by then, buy and dont look back.
 
Killyp said:
No point in waiting. The current MacBook Pros will last longer than the next generation Dell etc... as they'll still run the latest version of OS X in several years (try running Vista on a 4 year old PC).

Don't look at the specs, look at what you're going to be able to do with each computer. You never buy a car based on how many BHP it has, or a stereo by how many watts it's capable of producing...

And if you are going to buy a PC, don't get a Dell, their components are unbelievably low quality...
Click to expand...

Apple and dell have the same components
 
heatmiser said:
Word. It's amazing how people refuse to believe that an Apple is nothing more than a PC laptop with a component on the motherboard that allows it to run OS X. :D
Click to expand...

Well I am not a huge fan of Dell, but it isn't just about the components. There is build quality, and the M410 I have from work is lame.

Look if you are considering a Dell, you should get it. If to you Mac OS X isn't a deal breaker - then you won't be happy with an Apple.

I never understood people who said, "Not buying a MBP because I could get a Dell for $x cheaper" which invariably sparks a devolving thread on whether Apple is really more expensive (answer: depends, but usually a little bit more, rarely equal, and once in a while cheaper).

If you don't have-to-have Apple's software, then you are missing the point. A lot of Apple's PR goes to their hardware design, but that isn't what makes them great. A lot of music players have good hardware design, but none of them make getting music onto the device as easy as iTunes. The iTunes is as central to the iPod's success as the clickwheel is, if not more. And until iRiver or the Sansa designers get that they'll still be pissing on themselves for the same 8% marketshare.

Same goes for OS X, and if that isn't something you appreciate, you'll always look at that Dell as a better machine.
 
To the OP: I wish your problem was my problem, I just can't afford a new laptop of any kind, all your problem is that you don't want to buy something and then a new model may get released soon, that sounds rather spoiled to me.
Dell can do the same thing to you, you get the 1530 and a few weeks later they could very well update it, you have no idea.

From your post you say you really really really want your daughter to have a Mac but then you say you are leaning towards the Dell. Well it doesn't at all sound like you really really really want a Mac as it IS available but all you are worried about is something new around the corner. The MBP is an excellent machine for what it currently offers and there are many people on this forum that buy refurbs so they aren't worried about something new coming out, they just want a great notebook.
You should rethink what you are really getting the notebook for because if you are even considering a Dell then you don't have interest in OS X so it doesn't sound like you really really really want a Mac.:rolleyes:
 
Why not buy a MBP at a store that has a no questions asked return policy - like best buy - and then return it when a new MBP comes out. Can return it even if it opened. I know it is not right but saves buying a Dell and Apple "owes" us for the faulty screen fiasco we endured and still are enduring. It's not right - two wrongs ..... and eye for an eye... but just a thought .... but then again what do I know. :rolleyes:
 
Dell and apple's build quality is the same no difference Really like others have said it's the software the penryn update is nothing significant it's not going to be a huge difference for every day tasks no difference at all even intel said it them selves.
 
I bought a Macbook Pro on the grounds that i needed a great computer and am interested in intelligent design, (im studying architecture.) How much would a tiny increase make to you? I honestly don't see a problem here, if dell released a new model would you care? Buy what's on the market now, there's not going to be a proper change till the new chipset, (montevina) if you can wait then thats fine but we know as much as you do.
 
ntrigue said:
1) DO NOT buy a Dell Laptop.
2) Go to Apple.com
3) Find 2.4gHz MacBook Pro
4) Add 7200RPM HDD
5) Purchase
6) Go to Buy.com purchase 2 - 2Gb Sticks RAM
7) Wait...
Click to expand...

Why are you people so down on Dell? Just because their market-share is an order of magnitude higher than Apple's? I use a Dell laptop for work and have had absolutely zero problems with it. None of my co-workers have had problems with theirs. The XPS laptops have been receiving high marks from both professional reviewers and from people who actually own them. Dell is not the problem I'm trying to avoid. I'm trying to avoid Vista (it may be an OK OS in the end, but I don't want to invest time to learn a new OS). I'm also trying to avoid having to buy software that I already bought for my Mac (or will in the future) again for this new laptop. I like my Mac Pro and would love my daughter's school computer to be a Mac, but I simply refuse to pay 35-40% more for the MBP than I can get a XPS for. I've marked February 26th as a "MBP drop-dead date" on my calendar. No news of a MBP update by then, and XPS it is. Peace.:cool:
 
akadmon said:
Dell is not a problem I'm trying to avoid. I'm trying to avoid Vista.
Click to expand...
Good call. Factor in the OS satisfaction and it looks like your daughter would need to be exceedingly satisfied with the Dell hardware in order to like the overall experience that you'd be buying her (assuming it comes with Vista). But hey, if you get it with XP on it, the odds appear to improve to at least 50/50. ;)

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http://www.appleinsider.com/article...satisfaction_driving_explosive_mac_sales.html
 
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