The Price of Mac

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timestyles

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#274370 18-Nov-2009 23:59

I've always considered Macs to be vastly more expensive than PC's, for example if I wanted a medium spec 15" laptop, I could get one in NZ for $1500, it's double that if it comes with an Apple logo on the lid. I'm not the only one - at Canterbury University, about 5-10% of the laptops in the library are Macbooks, however I'd guess that 97% (at least) are the 13" model, since they are a lot cheaper than the 15" model. On the other hand, I'd say that at least 80% of the laptops I see (non-Apple) are 15".

As it happened, I read about Black Friday pricing in the USA, the cheapest 15" Macbook is US$1594.00, adding 6% sales tax (seems common there) = NZ$2258. The cheapest roughly equivalent from NZ via Pricespy is $2799, or $541 different. I'd like a Mac once in my life to properly see what the fuss is about, but the $10 extra a week doesn't sound that much, until you work out the total cost.

Geektastic

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#274387 19-Nov-2009 07:42

Really?

Made by whom and with what resolution though? The Apple is 2560 x 1600 optimum which is excellent for images.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#274393 19-Nov-2009 07:53

Geektastic:I'd never buy another PC though - I'm through with them.

The last tme I checked, Apple Macs are PC as well (Personal Computer).

/running away from those people now...

Geektastic

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#274395 19-Nov-2009 07:55

Ha!

lotech

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#274397 19-Nov-2009 08:15

I wrote a blog on the last product refresh from Apple last month. Apple do set their prices based on exchange rate, so sometimes we win and other times not so much.

For people wanting a cheap Mac there are a couple ways to go about it - refurbished machines are the best way of picking up a bargin and getting a fundamentally new machine. They don't come in the original box, any parts that are worn are replaced but come with full warranty. I've brought for myself or other 7+ comps and everyone fine.
Also you can think about an educational discount, if you ask for it in a store in NZ you'll need student ID but the Apple site doesn't require any proof of eligibility so click the link and save 10-20%.

dacraka

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#274468 19-Nov-2009 13:05

Just to let you know that I purchased my iMac on a Black Friday a few years ago in the NZ store and got $150 off which was exactly the same as what was the educational discount was at the time.

Geektastic

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#275064 21-Nov-2009 23:47

lotech: I wrote a blog on the last product refresh from Apple last month. Apple do set their prices based on exchange rate, so sometimes we win and other times not so much.

For people wanting a cheap Mac there are a couple ways to go about it - refurbished machines are the best way of picking up a bargin and getting a fundamentally new machine. They don't come in the original box, any parts that are worn are replaced but come with full warranty. I've brought for myself or other 7+ comps and everyone fine.
Also you can think about an educational discount, if you ask for it in a store in NZ you'll need student ID but the Apple site doesn't require any proof of eligibility so click the link and save 10-20%.

That's a great tip! Thanks - I wonder how long they let that one slip by?! I'm using a refurbed machine to type this - but did not know that you could blag the educational discount. Cool!

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