Where/When to buy as a High School Senior

P

pcwolff

macrumors newbie
Hello, first time posting here but I've been visiting the site for some time. Anywho, I'd just like some advice on when and where I should purchase a Apple laptop as a senior in high school. I'll be going to college next year and will be majoring in Computer Science, so I'm not even sure which laptop I'll be getting yet (Macbook 2.4 vs. Macbook Pro 2.4) but I'm just wondering when would be the best time for me to buy a laptop. I mean I would love to get one now, but I don't think I would get any sort of education discount. And also where would be the best place to buy one? If I had apple's student discount is that really the cheapest place to buy one? Thanks for any advice!

- Peter
 
You should buy in the summer and take advantage of their free* printer & ipod promotion. If you don't need a printer or ipod, Amazon is cheaper** than buying direct from Apple.


*free after rebate
**after rebate and no tax
 
Yes I agree. Wait until summer to buy. Also check your University to see if they have any special deals or pricing.
 
phungy said:
You should buy in the summer and take advantage of their free* printer & ipod promotion. If you don't need a printer or ipod, Amazon is cheaper** than buying direct from Apple.


*free after rebate
**after rebate and no tax
Click to expand...


Also you will be able to get the education discount. Anyone attending/employed in education is eligible. It's usually about $100 off.
 
I would agree with everyone else, unless you want the latest and greatest, in which case wait til around October 2009 for the newest version of the macbook/pro. Understand that by doing this you won't get a free ipod or printer and possibly a lesser education discount.
 
The best deal on the Apple site is the refurbished/discontinued. I bought my daughter a 20" iMac 2.4GHz with 2GB of ram recently. Original price was over 1400.00, I got it for 994.00. Same warranty. We got it and it looked like new. The deals come and go quickly however, so visit daily.

Second best is a place like B+H, where I buy most all electronic gear for my job, and just got an HDTV and saved 400 bucks over the next lowest place. No tax, no shipping, and that's one GREAT outfit.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/13223/Apple_Computers_Apple_Notebook_Computers.html

Third best bet is a place like MacMall. Most times for the same price as a student discount you get things like a printer, extra ram and Parallels. But sending in the rebates are damned hard! They want you to give up.

Fourth best is student discount... IF you need an iPod. Chances are you don't?

You have to shop around.
 
It really depends on what your looking for, the best deal I have seen on a Macbook Pro has been from the student store. I just purchased an early 08 MBP from the UCLA Store for 1199! BRAND NEW! Otherwise I would wait for Apple's back to school promotion like the other posters said.
 
I am a senior right and now and going to college in the fall as a film production major (hopefully?). My eMac is 5 years old, and I am in the same situation. I want to get a new Mac now since they just came out, but I also want to wait and see what happens with releases.

I am going to be getting either the 15" or 17" MBP by April, hopefully sooner. Unless they release a quad core iMac. If you are opting for a laptop they won't be updated again until "Novemberish" (I sound like Phil), so you might as well buy one sooner rather than later.
You can get the student discount from the Apple Store online, just click education on the left menu. The only reason to wait is if they do the free iPod offer again.
 
If you need a printer and iPod then definitely wait for the summer. If not, sell the iPod on ebay. Last year they had an amazing rebate for the iPod touch (but they didn't update the MB until October so I couldn't take advantage of it). As for when they will be updated again it won't be November. Over a year to the next update from October? I don't think so. It is going to be sometime in the spring most likely or even summer which would be fine as you should wait for the summer anyway.
 
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