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Best place to buy a Mac?


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So deciding which Mac to buy is tough enough... deciding where to buy it can be even harder.

 

Tell us your Mac buying experiences here - the pros and cons of buying a Mac from the places you've used.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

(P.S. Be sure to tell us what kind of Macs you bought, your experiences with the sales staff, discounts/deals, etc)

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If I have the time, I definately go to the Apple Store at my local mall.

 

If I'm pressed for time and don't feel like dealing with pompous snobs, I'll just go to my nearby BestBuy, which carries a lot of Apple computers and iPods now.

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Apple Retail Store. If you can get the right salesperson, they will help you make the right choice, whether you're a technogeek or new to computers. They can also draw you into buying extra things, at a discount, but they can drive up your amount spent.

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I got a Powermac G5 (2ghz dual processor) from here http://www.cancomuk.com/. They have a well stocked store just outside Manchester, UK.

 

As far as I recall the staff were great, no hard sell, and knowledgeable about their products. They even included some extra memory to sweeten the deal.

 

In contrast Hi-Tec of Bradford I consider to be pretty awful. We've made purchases from them in the past without issue, but when I took in an old G4 for repair they told me that the machine was beyond repair and should be replaced... two days later I had it running Tiger. I can only conclude that they either: don't know what they are talking about and shouldn't be offering a mac repair service or they deliberately lied to get a sale.

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If your a college student definately get it at the Apple Retail store. They give around a 10% discount on all computers and other discounts on a lot of other stuff. Plus, if you get a macbook now you get a free nano also. All my experiences with Apple employees has been great. Not nearly all them have a clue what they're talking about but neither would a bestbuy rep.

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I'd have to break it down to the type of mac you are buying - New or Previously New:

 

New - The Apple Store all the way!

 

I have purchased 3 systems there and it was quick and painless.

 

G4 emac - G4 MacBook - G4 PowerMac

 

If I need to look / touch / feel before I buy, I usually go to the Apple store or CompUSA first, then apple.com once back home.

 

For used gear, I usually look at Ebay and Craigslist.

 

Just be on the lookout for scammers as usual.

Look over the photos and description carefully, alwaya ask questions.

 

G3 Bondi imac - G4 PowerMac AGP

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I bought my G3 iMac from Macmall, because of the following offers:

 

1. Free 512 MB of RAM

2. Free printer

3. Free digital camera (OK, this was an Apple offer, but that camera still works)

 

I got my G3 iBook from PowerMax, because it was stupidly cheap (it was an "open box" model)

 

I got my G4 tower from a private citizen selling off his system

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Well, I think my first Mac will probably be from my local Fry's Electronics. They have a 15 Day no questions asked no restock fee return policy, so I can try out all of the different flavors of Macs before I decide to go buy one from somewhere else :whistle:. Also, I've noticed that employees at the Apple Store in my local mall seem to describe their Macs as "impeccable", while all Windows PCs as POS [not that there isn't truth in that, but...]. Guess they're trying really hard to sell Macs eh?

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Maybe the Macs are impeccable because they don't get a virus within twelve minutes of internet use? [lol]

 

(btw, don't start on "My windows box doesn't have one, blah blah blah." It's a generalized figure that comes from both your usage and stupid users' usage.

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Maybe the Macs are impeccable because they don't get a virus within twelve minutes of internet use? [lol]

 

LOL That was exactly what the salesperson was telling his customers [almost word for word ROFL].

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Apple store for Education provides the best deals on the Mac books for students, but I'm sure you can get better offers at other places if you're not a student.

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