| Author | Content |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
August 08, 2009
05:21 PM Post #6923652
| What is the best place to buy a new MacBook? My daughter wants one -- but I am ignorant about Macs (although comfortable with PCs). Should we go to a local Mac store? Or are there places that will sell for less on-line that are reputable? I always buy PCs on-line, but don't begin to know where to look for a Mac. Thanks! |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
August 08, 2009
05:43 PM Post #6923752
| I don't think you'll find as much price variation with Macs as you find with PC's. There are a million different PC brands, and each one of them is available in a million different configurations of hard drive size, memory, processor type/speed, etc, which makes for a huge range of different prices. With Macs, it's just one brand and there aren't as many different configurations, so the prices you find are likely to vary less from place to place. The one potential advantage of buying online is that if the place you buy it from doesn't have operations in your state then you would get out of paying sales tax (although you'd have to pay shipping, but on something like a laptop computer the tax is likely to be more than the shipping would be). Since this is your first time buying a Mac, it wouldn't hurt to go to the Mac store and try out a few and talk to the people there about what you need so that you can decide which one you want, then once you know what you want you can shop for one online and see if you can find one that's a little cheaper than it is in the store (or same price but somewhere that you wouldn't have to pay sales tax). If you're looking to save money, you could try to find a used or refurbished one instead of buying one that's brand new. |
tommyr2006
Poughkeepsie, NY
August 08, 2009
05:52 PM Post #6923769
| If you have one nearby an Apple store. If not then Apple directly or MacMall or do a search for Macs on Google in the shopping link.
Prices will be about the same everywhere. |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
August 09, 2009
06:54 AM Post #6925284
| Thanks so much. My daughter is determined to get a MacBook -- she is (mostly) paying for it with money she earned this summer. She wants to buy it at the local store. I wanted to save her from being gouged if that was possible. She doesn't want a used one (the pride of a 15-year-old -- this too shall pass). Knowing the prices are fairly even is a huge help -- many thanks, ecrane and tommy! |
daylily_ohio
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
August 09, 2009
05:40 PM Post #6927392
| Used macs are not that easy to find... well they didn't used to be, maybe in this economy they are easier.
I have bought from a store, online and from the online Apple store. No real difference in any of them. I would recommend the Applecare service - especially for a first time Apple owner.
She should love the MacBook. I've never had a portable mac, but all my other Macs have been great. |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
August 09, 2009
06:11 PM Post #6927486
| Thanks, Daylily! I'm sure she will. I'm dreading it a bit -- I'm the one who will need to get it working properly with our home network, and I'd rather not learn a new system. But so be it... |
daylily_ohio
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
August 09, 2009
06:17 PM Post #6927512
| Buy a Mac for Dummies book on the version of OS the new MacBook will have... When they do a major upgrade, I buy one - and I have been a mac user for something like 15 years. You'll get it in no time.
|
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
August 09, 2009
08:36 PM Post #6928001
| Ok, thanks for the suggestion. I feel perfectly PC literate, but I'm not looking forward to learning a new language! |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
August 09, 2009
08:47 PM Post #6928043
| Macs are really easy--I had used PC's for a long time and just bought a Mac a couple years ago and it was super easy to learn, I don't think you'll have any trouble. |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
August 10, 2009
06:45 AM Post #6929281
| Thanks, ecrane; that's reassuring. It's not that I don't think I could learn; I just don't have the time to spend learning it right now. So I'm glad if it will be intuitive. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 17, 2009
10:17 PM Post #7076058
| Purchased a Macbook at a retail store in July of this year. I love it. Best part of buying retail store is something they call One-to-One. They have a class for just you and a Mac geek to teach whatever you are most interested in. So far, I have had only 1 class because the tutorials are very precise. Plus, it is not extremely different from Windows other than it is more dependable and super fast. Retail store is the way to go.
Christi
Forgot, if you purchase before the end of Sept. you get a free iPod touch free. I didn't even know I wanted one. I love it.
This message was edited Sep 17, 2009 9:18 PM |
daylily_ohio
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
September 18, 2009
01:04 AM Post #7076584
| LouC--- the best thing about my iPhone has been the iPod... I never thought I would use the iPod on the phone. I download podcasts all the time. There are so many interesting podcasts to subscribe to! Try them out, you'll love them! Felder Rushing's Gestalt Gardener for one... some of the others I enjoy are
A Splendid Table
This American Life
A Way With Words
MacWorld Podcast - keeps you up to date on all things Apple without being to geeky
A Prairie Home Companion News from Lake Wobegon
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me
NPR Science Friday
and many more local radio shows. I work 2nd shift and am the only one in my department, so I can use headphones all night. I either listen to podcasts or listen to books. I do photoshop computer graphic work, so it's more artsy and doesn't take much "thinking" so being able to listen to interesting things makes the night much more fun!
I bought Snow Leopard a couple weeks ago when it came out but have not had a chance to upgrade my Mac yet. Hope to do it this weekend. That's another thing about Macs - upgrading is very easy. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
11:16 AM Post #7077513
| In that I had my Mac only a few weeks before Leopard was released, I can't tell a difference. I have already installed it and as you say, a breeze. Going to make an appt. for another One-to-One next week for more precise instructions on iPhoto and iTunes. I desire to learn all the little nuances and not just the obvious. One problem I am having and I can't find any place that addresses it, the green button does not make the window fit the screen. Sometimes it is too small, the next time I have to scroll left to right to see the text. Any hints?
Thanks for the list of apps. I'm still very much a novice on the ipod. |
daylily_ohio
Newark, OH
(Zone 5b)
September 18, 2009
01:40 PM Post #7077936
| LouC, I am almost out the door on my way to work... but the green button won't make the window fill the screen all the way like your used to on Windows. Bigger, but not completely fill it.
The things I listed are not apps. You "subscribe" in iTunes, they are weekly radio shows. Every week, you download them, and load them on your iPod, to listen to whenever you want. iTunes will keep it updated automatically, or when you click a button called "refresh"... ask your guy during the One to One about them. They are really easy, free and fun. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
02:07 PM Post #7078007
| Thanks. |
happy_macomb
Chevy Chase, MD
(Zone 7a)
September 18, 2009
05:16 PM Post #7078643
| Thanks from me too. I got the Touch as part of the MacBook deal, but haven't taken it out of the box yet! |
tommyr2006
Poughkeepsie, NY
September 18, 2009
05:55 PM Post #7078777
| The Touch is AWESOME! You'll LOVE IT!
|
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 18, 2009
06:22 PM Post #7078856
| If you want your window to fit the screen, you can click on the lower right corner of the window and drag it out to expand it. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
07:57 PM Post #7079164
| Thanks to you, Ecrane. That works but now I have a slender line on the left side.
Going to One-to-ONe next week. |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 18, 2009
08:17 PM Post #7079254
| I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a slender line on the left side...but if the problem is that the window isn't exactly flush with the left side of the screen, you just click the title bar of the window and drag it to the left until it's exactly where you want the top & left side to be, then use the handle again to drag it down & to the right until it fills the screen. |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
08:26 PM Post #7079305
| yay! That did it. You're a Mac Genius. That's what they call their helpers at the Genius Bar in the retail store.
Thank you very much. |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
September 18, 2009
08:54 PM Post #7079425
| Glad that fixed it! I'm definitely not a Mac genius, I know the basics but I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that I don't know! |
HoosierGreen
Danville, IN
September 18, 2009
08:59 PM Post #7079453
| Remember when buying a Mac: If you are a student or an educator, you get a great discount!
I've been a Mac used for over 20 years. I still have my first two (in the closet) which work, but are really slow compared to today's. I have a desktop and a MacBook. Macs rule! |
LouC
Desoto, TX
(Zone 8a)
September 18, 2009
09:13 PM Post #7079509
| The reason I paid an additional $99 to enroll in One to One so I could learn more than just what I could figure out on my own. Have had it since mid July and had one lesson. There is waaaaay more it will do than I have discovered on my own.
|
