Student Discounts in store vs. online

[MikeyTree]

I'm going to buy a new MB or MBP soon. I live in Pennsylvania, where there's 6% tax, but there's an apple store close by in Delaware where there's no sales tax. I'm a student, so the amount of the discount could really make a difference. The online store gives a big discount, but when I called the physical store they didn't explain the discount very well, and it sounded significantly less.

The alternative is, I suppose, shipping it to a friend who lives in DE. Would that work?

Also, what sort of customization can you do in a store-bought computer? Can up upgrade to 2g memory from 1g? Can you upgrade the hard drive?

 

[WildCowboy]

The standard EDU discount is available in-store on hardware purchases...just show your student ID. The EDU discount is NOT good on in-store software purchases.

However, note that you are usually legally obligated to pay sales/use tax anyway on items that are purchased out of state. More and more states are providing a line for it on state income tax forms, and should you be audited for whatever reason, they will likely ask questions if you don't have an entry there.

Very little customization is available on in-store purchases. They might be willing to pop some additional RAM in there, but they won't upgrade the hard drive. (Note that Apple RAM is a bit overpriced, and many people here would recommend just buying it on your own from a third-party manufacturer and installing it yourself. I recommend OWC and DMS.)