How to Buy a Mac

Here are six pages of food for thought when buying your next Mac:        (1) Identify what you want to do        (2) Identify how much you want to spend        (3) Generally understand what new Macs are available        (4) Generally understand the best time to buy your new Mac        (5) Generally understand where you can buy your next Mac        (6) Find the “best” (lowest) price        (7) Decide about extended warranties and financing

 

(1) So, why do you want a new Mac?  What do you want to do that you cannot do right now, or that your current Mac won’t let you (w/o a lot of upgrading whose cost could be put towards a new Mac)?  Do you want to burn audio or data CDs?  Organize your photos and maybe print a hardbound book?  Shoot your own short film and stream it over the Internet?  Create your own DVD and send it to family and friends?  Run software that requires newer hardware or operating system than you have?  Take your Mac w/ you on the go?  Work on a beautiful 20" or 23" Apple Cinema Display?

 

(2) So, how much do you realistically want to or are willing to spend?  $500?  $1500?  $2500?  $3500?  Whatever you decide, you’ll probably spend a little bit more, so decide on the conservative side.  Also keep in mind that this year’s $3500 Mac will be next year’s $2500 Mac, etc., so make sure you’ll actually use what you’re paying for (expandability, portability, etc.).  And just like the cost of a car doesn’t include insurance and maintenance, what other hardware or software upgrades or purchases will you need to make?  Will all of your current peripherals (printer, scanner, tablet, etc.) work, or will you need some USB or FireWire adapters or need to replace them?  Will all of your current software work (w/ maybe only a software download to update it), or will you need to purchase an upgrade or a whole new version?  For food for thought about upgrading your Mac, see our “Upgrading Your Mac”* document.

 

(3) So, which Mac is right for you?  Apple makes about four kinds of Macs — desktops and laptops for consumers and professionals — and they have their potential, relative advantages and disadvantages:  Kinds   for Consumers   for Professionals D E S K T O P S 17" CRT G4 eMac  15" or 17" LCD G4 iMac  G4 or G5 Tower  L A P T O P S 12.1" or 14.1"  LCD G3 iBook  12.1", 15.2" or 17"  LCD G4 PowerBook

+	for Consumers	for Professionals
D E S K T O P S	include displays  include a bundle of software  can burn DVDs (select models)  ________________  ________________	include support for multiple large, external monitors or displays  include support for multiple large, internal hard drives and PCI cards  can burn DVDs (select models)  ________________  ________________
L A P T O P S	are portable, and can work during blackouts  include displays and a bundle of software  have smaller laptop screens which mean smaller carrying cases  ________________  ________________	are portable, and can burn DVDs (select models)  include displays, and support for Apple’s Cinema Displays (select models)  have larger laptop screens which mean more screen real estate  ________________  ________________

–	for Consumers	for Professionals
D E S K T O P S	are not portable  have no PCI slots for audio/video expansion  ________________  ________________	do not include displays, so you must already have one or must factor the cost of one into your purchase  are physically big and heavy and potentially noisy  ________________  ________________
L A P T O P S	cannot burn DVDs  have smaller screens which may strain your eyes   ________________  ________________	may suffer paint delamination: 1 2 3 4 5 6  have larger screens which may be awkwardly bulky  ________________  ________________

What are PCI cards?  They’re internal expansion cards to give you add’l or needed ports like ADB, audio in and out, composite/s-video, ethernet, FireWire 400 or 800, SCSI, Mac serial, USB 1 or 2, or VGA/graphics, or for processor upgrades or PostScript Raster Image Processor accelerators.  What are PCI cards?  They’re internal expansion cards to give you add’l or needed ports like ADB, composite/s-video, ethernet, FireWire, FireWire 800, SCSI, Mac serial, sound/audio in and out, USB, USB 2.0, or VGA/graphics, or for processor upgrades or PostScript Raster Image Processor accelerators.  If you don’t know what most of these are, you probably don’t have to worry about needing them.  And for those of you who already have Macs w/ PCI slots, the question for you then is have you used them?  And if not, do you really need to buy a Mac w/ them?  For a matrix of Apple’s current Macs and side-by-side comparison of their specifications, see our “Current Macs”* document.

 

(4) So, when is the best time to buy a new Mac?  In general, the best time to buy your new Mac when you need it.  But if you’re not in a huge rush, you may want to try and time your purchase in a certain way to get the most out of it.  Right after Macworld Expos use to be the time, but that is no longer the case.  Since each Mac line gets refreshed every 6-8 months, once you decide which Mac you want, find out when it was last refreshed.  If less than three months have passed, you’re safe.  If more than six months have passed, you may want to wait a month or two for the new models.  New models, usually at the same or similar price-points, will usually mean lower prices on what stock is left of the models they replace.  Keep in mind that not all the new models may be available immediately, so the model you want may mean another month or two wait.

 

(5) So, where can you buy a Mac?  Here are four broad options — new and used, locally and via mail order or online — and their potential, relative advantages and disadvantages:  Where?   Local   Mail Order or Online N E W @ Apple Authorized Reseller Locator      1-800-538-9696 @ Apple Store in Glendale and L.A.      1-800-MY-APPLE, 1-800-69-27753 @ CompUSA all over      1-800-COMP-USA, 1-800-266-7872 @ Creative Computers in Santa Monica      1-310-394-7779 @ Fry’s all over      1-818-526-8100 @ Mac Enthusiasts on Pico & Beverly Glen      1-310-470-3826 @ Mac Experts in Santa Monica      1-310-581-1500 @ Mac Solutions on Wilshire & Bundy      1-800-873-3726 @ Unitek in L.A. and Pasadena      1-877-686-4835 @ ________________   @ ________________  @ Amazon in Washington      1-800-201-7575 @ CDW in Illinois      1-800-509-4239 @ ClubMac in Irvine, CA*      1-800-217-9153 @ MacConnection in New Hampshire      1-888-213-0260 @ MacMall in Torrance, CA*      1-800-222-2808 @ MacWarehouse in New Jersey      1-800-397-8508 @ MacZone in Washington      1-800-454-3686 @ Outpost in Connecticut*      1-877-OUT-POST, 1-877-688-7678 @ SmallDog in Vermont      1-802-469-7174 @ ________________   @ ________________  * local  U S E D @ Flea Markets   @ Friends   @ Pawn Shops   @ PennySaver      1-888-736-6972 @ Recycler      1-213-473-2535 @ Thrift Stores, like       @ Out of the Closet          1-323-860-5200     @ Goodwill          1-888-4-GOODWILL, 1-888-446-6394 @ Yard Sales   @ ________________   @ ________________  @ eBay in San Jose, CA      1-866-696-3229 @ Mac of All Trades in Georgia      1-800-304-4639 @ MacResQ in Concord, CA      1-888-447-3728 @ Mac Sales in Arizona      1-888-622-7253 @ Mega Macs in Oklahoma      1-918-664-6227 @ PowerMax in Oregon      1-888-769-7629 @ PowerOn in Roseville, CA      1-800-673-6227 @ Shreve Solutions in Louisiana      1-800-227-3971 @ Sun Remarketing in Utah      1-800-821-3221 @ ________________   @ ________________  also great places to  • buy original system disks and manuals, and  • get an idea as to what the current market value of your Mac is

+	Local	Mail Order or Online
N E W	See and touch before you buy   Know your purchase is “under warranty” by Apple   Walk out immediately w/ your Mac   Easily return for a replacement, repair, or refund   ________________   ________________	Order anytime and from a wide selection   Know your purchase is “under warranty” by Apple   Save money w/ free S&H, or S&H that’s less than sales tax   Have it delivered right to your door   ________________   ________________
U S E D	See and touch before you buy   Buy an older Mac for a small percentage of what it cost brand new   Buy a whole Mac just for its parts   ________________   ________________	Buy parts for your Mac   Know your purchase is “under warranty” by the seller   Get trade-in value for your Mac   ________________   ________________

–	Local	Mail Order or Online
N E W	Can’t buy your Mac 24/7   May have to pick from a limited selection   Pay sales tax (8.25% of $2K = $165, and of $3K = $248)   ________________   ________________	Can’t see or touch or otherwise inspect before you buy   Must wait for your Mac to be delivered   Must deal w/ the company via the phone (and hold times) and the mail   ________________   ________________
U S E D	Buy “as is” w/ no warranty from Apple or the seller   Can’t easily return for a replacement, repair, or refund   May need your own System disks   ________________   ________________	Can’t see or touch or otherwise inspect before you buy   Must wait for your Mac to be delivered   Must deal w/ the company via the phone (and hold times) and the mail   ________________   ________________

 

(6) So, where can you find the “best” (lowest) price?  You’ll undoubtedly stumble across some great, unadvertised specials as you browse the links in (5), afterwhich you’ll want to check out the links here:            apple.com/edu :  save a little if you’re a student, staff, faculty, etc.            apple.com/gov :  save a lot if you work for the U.S. government, otherwise              DealMac.com :  daily specials on everything Macintosh            eBates.com :  money back to you from participating companies            MacPrices.com :  great matrix of vendors, prices, and promotional bundles            Macworld.com :  simple matrix of vendors, prices, and “seller ratings”              ________________            ________________

 

(7) So, what about extended warranties and financing?  About extended warranties, attendees of QMUG/LA’s September 2002 meeting on “How to Buy a Mac” were a bit split:  most of our audience members neither bought nor recommended them, but most of our officers both bought and recommended AppleCare.  While most of our audience members didn’t think much of extended warranties, they did like the idea of insurance, in case of theft.  Of these kinds of companies*, Safeware* was specifically, highly recommended by the President of the L.A. Palm/Portable User Group.  About financing, everyone was unanimous:  don’t do it.  Because Apple refreshes each line of their computers every 6-8 months, you don’t really want to finance a purchase for 3-5 years, in which time your Mac will have been refreshed 6-8 times or more.  If you’re not convinced, look back 3-5 years and see what you could have bought, and then ask yourself if you’d like to just be finishing paying for it as an AppleLoan, w/ all of its interest.  If you can’t afford what you want, then consider used or start saving up.

 

(*) So, what do you think?  Did you find this document helpful?  Did we forget anything or leave anything out?  Anything we should add?  Any other potential, relative advantages or disadvantages?  Any other places to buy Macs?  Any other words of advice or wisdom?  Let us know!