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Where do you buy your Apple Gear from and Why?

A

asimmd

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 24, 2012
103
0
UK
Hi All

While waiting for the new iMac to appear it ocurred to me that there are so many outlets selling Apple stuff,that I wondered if there was a best place to buy from.

I see that John Lewis offer a 2 year warranty as standard on the Mac's,with the option to extend it to 3 years for another £70.

Is this the best deal around,and is their warranty as good as Applecare?

I am in the UK.

Thanks

Alan
 
Hey Alan, i am not sure if there is a best place to buy from but if you want a good deal check out Amazon. For example the current high end 27" from Apple is priced at £1649.00 where as on Amazon it's priced at £1377.55 including free delivery. So you save £271.45

Add £40 for a 8MB memory upgrade and three year apple care for £122.44 that comes to £1539.99. A saving of £109.01 over the original price and you're getting a slightly better mac. If you bought this from apple it would cost £1868.00. So you save £328.01.

I've just checked the JL website and they are priced similarly to Apple so you would save loads.

iMac:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B004Z139UI/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Memory:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/memory-upgr...puter/dp/B004TQHL7G/ref=pd_luc_cps_02_01_t_lh

Apple Care:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AppleCare-Protection-Plan-for-iMac/dp/B004SMS5H6/ref=pd_luc_bxgy_01_02_t_lh

Of course all this is assuming that you want a 27", there are some really nice deals on the 21.5" ones too.

Apparently rumour has it that the new iMacs will be making an appearance next month which will undoubtedly force the existing prices down. Can you wait?

Good luck with your decision.

;)
 
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If you are a student or academic or have access to one of those (like married to one for example or have one as a child), I would suggest doing it over the phone as you not only get 3 year hardware warranty as standard but you also get the option of Applecare (which I would suggest to everyone new to apple) at 70-75% discount at the point of sale. Simply ring 0800 048 0408. Did I mention 12% discount as well?

When you receive the box, before you open it, may be worth booking a Genius appointment at your nearest Apple store (if you live near one) because they can help you set up (and with any luck even help you migrate from your PC which you can even take with you if it's a laptop of course so you can even migrate all your personal data like music, videos and photos)

good luck
 
asimmd said:
Is this the best deal around,and is their warranty as good as Applecare?
Click to expand...

Only issue is they have to send the items away for repair - Apple will do in store.

I prefer to buy from John Lewis and just stick with the 2 year warranty - though in the UK extra paid warranties are not needed as you are covered by the sales of goods act.
 
iPad - second hand off Amazon which was a good deal at the time
iPhone 3GS - from a friend and that was my first Apple product
iPod Touch - from amazon.co.uk direct
Mac Mini - From the Apple store in person
Thunderbolt Display - Same as above.
Macbook Pro 13" - Apple store
Apple wireless keyboard - Apple store
Apple trackpad - Apple store
Apple magic mouse - Amazon second hand
Powermac G5 - eBay

That's my longest post in a while haha.

I'll be buying this soon:

Retina 15" Macbook Pro (2013: Haswell)
iPad (2013)

Cheers!
 
Talking to a small population out there, I know, but:

Active duty US military have 2 options:

Good: Buy from apple.com, all computers are discounted $50 - $150 for military and government employees. Not bad, but you have to pay tax.

Better: Buy at a military exchange (NEX, PX, BX). Apple gives a tiny pat on the back for the troops ($10 off regular price), but you pay no tax. That's where I bought my 21.5" iMac back in 2010, and where I plan on buying the 2012/2013 27" beast before I retire!:cool:
 
I was initially thinking of getting my upcoming iMac from Apple (2012 if released by ML, 2011 if not), as you can get 3% cashback with Quidco.

But... it's cheaper to just buy from Amazon, as necromorph mentioned. The entry-level 2011 iMac is currently £926.40, which is better than paying Apple £999 and then getting 30 quid cashback!

John Lewis is tempting for the 2 year warranty, but I'd rather save money on the machine itself, and then get AppleCare if I wanted an extended warranty.

I think it will depend on whether I want any BTO options or not, as of course you can't get that via Amazon etc.

As for other Apple gear... I bought all my other Apple devices directly from Apple (online or the Retail Store), except for my very first iPhone, which I got in an O2 shop.
 
I tend to walk into a physical Apple store and get the "Gucci experience". I've also used MacMall to dodge tax/shipping, and Best Buy for the gobs of reward points (basically, a delayed discount).
 
Apple retail store if they have it in stock, else the online Apple store. Hard to beat going into a store, checking things out, and walking out with shiny new Macs or iPhone or whatever.
 
My GF is REALLY big on Apple stuff, hardcore Mac Head snice the g3 days :rolleyes: and she has always gone to a local store called " Mac Outfitters ".

That's where I started buying my Apple stuff when I bought my PM G5, the first mac I ever bought with my own money, that didn't belong to a boss. . Really nice guys. Bought my new iMac from them as well, as well as the iPad 3 I got her for her bday.

The service is much better than an actual Apple Store. Apple really needs to pick another word that isn't " Genius " to describe the tech support counter.
 
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I used to buy base models from online retailers and upgrade them, but between refurbished bargains, proprietary/factory-only BTO upgrades and free shipping, the Apple Store online is essentially the only place I get my Macs from now.

Other components tend to come from wherever I can find them, with most coming from TigerDirect and Monoprice.
 
Got my first mbp from mac mall. They usually are the cheapest and tax free, sometimes they offer free stuff like a printer and parallels.
 
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