Buying a Mac Book Pro

Omega28

Hi

I'm a windows user but I was thinking about buying an apple.

I went into my local PC store today and was chatting to a nice lad who listed the advantages of buying a mac book pro over your normal windows laptop.

I'll be using the laptop for college, general browsing of the net, music, photos etc

I hope to be doing a graphic design course as well in the future so perhaps the laptop will be in handy.

so do I go out and buy a mac book pro or stick with a cheaper laptop with windows on it?

Wheres the best/cheapest place to buy a mac book pro?

Are they are far superior machine compared to your average laptop with windows on it?

any help would be great

thanks again

etar

If you decide to buy a mac book pro, wait and check out the prices on the apple site on the day after thanksgiving when apple have their 1 day sale.

Omega28

Thanks for the reply!

Would u save much? I never knew they ever done a sale

etar

I haven't bought anything from the sale as I have only converted this year to apple
but friends have said there is normally 15-20% off most items, so i'm holding off on purchasing anything until then.

Omega28

I'll also hang on

firstprime

If you or anyone you know is going to america soon then you should definitely get it there. Apple seems to think that it can push around its european customers with a 1$=€1 exchange rate. for example if a macbook was 1000$
then it would be €1000 when it should be €750. This price difference is too big to ignore so if the pportunity arises take it. Also getting it home is no trouble as you can carry a laptop onto the plane aswell as your carry on luggage. I havent checked but it may be the same for other countries too. Also with apples high price it may be worth looking into buying second hand, just make sure you can check it out before buying (and maybe take someboy who knows thier way around a mac to check for anything wrong). hope this helps.

Edit: Also keep in mind that while macs are slick and smooth, and offer a nice user experience you can get a much better laptop for that price or cheaper, and apples editing software (garage band, etc) cost hundreds extra. i would personally go with dell because they are easy to work with and have great tech support, have good quality products and can be trusted 100%)

Sad Professor

Yes, get a Mac. OS X is far superior to Windows. More stable and intuitive. Most people who switch to Mac don't switch back. Check out the Mac forum for more info.

Apple's Black Friday sales are usually pretty crap. You get about 10 percent off - the student discount in other words. I wouldn't bother waiting personally.

If buying in the states isn't an option, consider getting a refurb. 15-20 percent discounts, the machine is usually as good as new, you can get Applecare, and if you are not happy you can return it. Here's the link:

http://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

(refurb store refreshes around midnight so it might be blank at the moment)

Omega28

Thanks everyone for ur help

I'll be going to new York at Xmas so it might be worth hanging on til then!
I was on apple.com and the mac book pro with 13inch screen is $1199, I was quoted €1189 for the very same machine today.

Regarding refurbished machines, I'm not so sure, are you saving that much? Have u personally bought one? Can I expect it to last for as long as s new machine?

Just a quick question regarding the whole mac OS, Id need word etc for college, I was quoted 179 today fr the mac version, seems pricy no?

Sad Professor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

Regarding refurbished machines, I'm not so sure, are you saving that much? Have u personally bought one? Can I expect it to last for as long as s new machine?

15-20 percent, as above. Yes and yes. They are usually brand new. Most of the time they are just ones that have been returned. They tend to go through more testing than the new models. According to Apple, at most you might expect some scuff marks or minor physical defects, and it might come in a plain box - but this is rarely the case. They have the same warranty as a new machine, and you can extend that to 3 years with Applecare.

Just a quick question regarding the whole mac OS, Id need word etc for college, I was quoted 179 today fr the mac version, seems pricy no?

Yes, they were trying to rip you off. Hell, even Apple sell it for less than that. Where was this, PC World?

You can get the Home and Student edition of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac from Amazon UK for about €90 incl. delivery. You might also want to consider iWork, which is Apple's offering - it costs €80. Or consider a free solution, such as NeoOffice, OpenOffice, etc.

Omega28

Yes it was PC World!!! They must be known for this yeah?

What is the software iWork? And the free software u mentioned?

Also the apple care, how does this work?

Being my first mac, which route would u go down? New or a refurb?

I'm looking at the refurbs now, 979euro, not bad at all!
Thanks for ur help

Buddy7

One issue about buying in America is, if something goes wrong with it, does Irish Apple stores fix this problem?

Sad Professor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

What is the software iWork? And the free software u mentioned?

For iWork, see here: http://www.apple.com/iwork/

Tbh I'm not too experienced with NeoOffice, etc but there's a few threads over on the Mac forum debating the relative merits of each. For compatibility reasons, Microsoft Office might be the better option if you can afford it.

Also the apple care, how does this work?

It's just an extended warranty (not insurance). You get 3 years of telephone support as well. You can buy it anytime in the first year.

Being my first mac, which route would u go down? New or a refurb?

It's up to you - but there shouldn't be any problem going the refurb route. Inspect it thoroughly for physical defects when you get it and return it if you aren't happy. The warranty covers any other problems you might encounter. There is, of course, the possibility of getting a lemon, that's why they are discounted by so much, but tbh with the way everything is mass produced now days that's just as much a possibility with a new machine.

Buddy7 wrote: »

One issue about buying in America is, if something goes wrong with it, does Irish Apple stores fix this problem?

Apple notebooks have a worldwide warranty. They also have a universal power supply, so all you need is an adapter for the plug. The only issue with buying from the states is getting caught by customs on the way back - but it would probably still work out cheaper.

Omega28

its only 860euro in America, what a saving! Is there taxes added to that if I was to buy it in NYC over Xmas?

I want to buy one now but I just cant afford to let over 300euro slip away like that!

also thank u for everyones feedback and help, greatly appreciated:)

Sad Professor

Dylanmc111 wrote: »

its only 860euro in America, what a saving! Is there taxes added to that if I was to buy it in NYC over Xmas?

Yeah, I think it's about 8.5 percent in NYC.

cianclarke

firstprime wrote: »

Edit: Also keep in mind that while macs are slick and smooth, and offer a nice user experience you can get a much better laptop for that price or cheaper, and apples editing software (garage band, etc) cost hundreds extra. i would personally go with dell because they are easy to work with and have great tech support, have good quality products and can be trusted 100%)

Apple's "editing software" (the latest of iLife, currently '11 - just refreshed) comes free with any new mac, that includes iMovie, Garageband and iPhoto - seriously epic pieces of software, along with iWeb and iDVD.
Future versions of this software can be upgraded for €50 usually.

Omega28

what software would be best for college? Id need word. is mac word the same as mircosoft word? sorry for the stupid question

also if I was to purchase the laptop say today, could I get the apple car plan in say a weeks time or does it have to be bought straight away when the laptop is bought?

thanks

PARARORY

If your in college you can get 10 % off from the apple store. (includes applecare and things like iwork/office...

CompuB at the bottom of grafton street give 6% off to students...

I just bought one last night from apple store (macbook pro) and it came to about 1300 with microsoft office , applecare and they have a special at the moment where you get a free printer plus ink.

Omega28

how did u get the student discount?

thanks

PARARORY

there ya go!

http://www.apple.com/ie/aoc/

Omega28

How exatly do you get the free printer?! Thanks

Also just to add you can upgrade your hard drive and Memory (RAM) and it won't void the warranty.

Seeing as your a previous windows user you can install Windows XP, Vista or 7 on to your Mac as well as having Mac OS X using Bootcamp, which comes on your macbook pro.

Was a previous PC user myself and was also a bit nervous switching over to Mac but after using one for the last while i can say that it was worth it, great machines and to find a laptop with the same abilities you would be spending alot more.