Apple laptop advice needed

Aidan78

Hi guys,

I'm interested in purchasing an Apple laptop and I saw in a previous thread where someone recommended this link:

http://shops.buyandsell.ie/4macComputers/index.php


Just wondering if anyone who has dealt with this place could supply some feedback - good or bad?

Are the laptops new or just refurbished products, can you tell? I was hoping they were new, but with the prices mentioned on the site, some of the laptops seem way cheaper than what I've seen on the Apple website.

Also, does anyone know if there is an Apple store in Dublin? I can't find any mention of such a thing on the Apple website.

Thanks,
Aidan

irishguy00

Yeah, there is an Apple store in Dublin. It's located just at the bottom of Grafton STreet. It has an "Apple" sign outside but it is a Spectra Photo store.

Also, why would you buy a laptop off Apple, through another website other than Apple's own? It would be much safer to do so. I wouldn't trust anyone else.

Aidan78

irishguy00 wrote:

Yeah, there is an Apple store in Dublin. It's located just at the bottom of Grafton STreet. It has an "Apple" sign outside but it is a Spectra Photo store.

Thanks for that. Didn't realise there was. It's not listed on the Apple website. I'll check it out after work.

irishguy00 wrote:

Also, why would you buy a laptop off Apple, through another website other than Apple's own? It would be much safer to do so. I wouldn't trust anyone else.

Call me a penny-pincher if you will, but at the end of the day the simple answer is money. The laptops on the website from my original post are all so much cheaper than on the Apple website. My budget is kind of limited (€1200 max), I have my heart set on an Apple laptop and I just want to get the best one I can afford, basically. But I also want a genuine laptop, not just a refurbished job. Got a refurbished laptop last time I bought one and it started failing after 7 months - slowed down, battery didn't last so long and then stopped working at all, wouldn't even charge, so I either want a new one or as close to a new one as I can get!

Aidan.

irishguy00

If you want an Apple laptop for under €1200, then the new MacBooks are the way to go. they start from €1099 and have excellent specs for it's price. surprising for an apple.

xebec

irishguy00 wrote:

Yeah, there is an Apple store in Dublin. It's located just at the bottom of Grafton STreet. It has an "Apple" sign outside but it is a Spectra Photo store.

It's not mentioned on the Apple website because it's not an Apple store. Spectra are a reseller of Apple products, as are O2 and the 3G stores. The O2 store about half way along Grafton St has an Apple store upstairs, worth checking out.

The main Apple store for UK & Ireland is on Regent St (I think) in London, fantastic place and a great source of free internet when I was bored at weekends over the summer

I bought from the Apple IE online store, got a very nice student discount so got the €1299 macbook for less than €1200 Otherwise the €1099 macbook is good vfm for what you're getting.

uncle_sam_ie

There are no Apple retail stores in Ireland, but there are a couple of resellers like O2 and 3G. However they wont be any cheaper then Apple's online store. You have to remember that Apple does small updates from time to time on all their products. So, you might for example see a MacBook Pro in a 3G store that looks to be cheaper, but it's not the updated model. The MacBook pro came out in February and the was updated in April. If your paying all that money then you will want the newest model with all the bugs work from the previous model. The link you gave to that MacBook pro looks to be a used model to me. If you really want save some money and have a fun weekend as well then get a cheap fight to New York or Boston and buy it there. I got mine in the US and saved about €450.

VeVeX

irishguy00 wrote:

If you want an Apple laptop for under €1200, then the new MacBooks are the way to go. they start from €1099 and have excellent specs for it's price. surprising for an apple.

They start from 1199 and they're under-powered for the price compared to toshibas and dells for similar price.

You're paying for brand.

uncle_sam_ie

VeVeX wrote:

They start from 1199 and they're under-powered for the price compared to toshibas and dells for similar price.

You're paying for brand.

No,your paying for a quality computer running a quality operating system.

xebec

VeVeX wrote:

They start from 1199

We were both wrong, but I was closer! They start at €1119 LINK

wasper

Go to Apple web site & click on store. Then at the bottom of the page select Ireland.
You can also call a free number on the website. The callcentre is based in Apple in Cork.
There is not much difference in prices between Spectra, O2 & Apple. It's better to visit these shops & have a look at the product.
I just bought a macBook from Vancouver. It was about €280 cheaper. I like the machine.
The screen has a sort of sharp look. You would think it was glass.

Hugh_C

VeVeX wrote:

You're paying for brand.

Troll.

ircoha

Are the MacPro's worth the extra cost, need it for serious multimedia?

Thanks

uncle_sam_ie

ircoha wrote:

Are the MacPro's worth the extra cost, need it for serious multimedia?

Thanks

You mean the MacBook pro right? Well, I went with the MacBook pro because it has a dedicated ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card, bigger screen, and a expresscard/34 slot. Plus small extra stuff like the backlit keyboard. But the main reason was the graphics card. If your doing serious multimedia I'd go with the MacBook pro.