kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305 
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Post by kibblesandbits on Sept 25, 2020 15:15:33 GMT
My MacBook Air (circa 2011) is slowly dying. I'm starting the process of replacing it, but need to consider a few things. 1. Holidays are coming, and also the holiday deals. Can I expect a deal on Apple products? 2. Better to buy from Apple? Or can I get the same from Costco? Is it better to buy from one or the other? 3. Anything else I should think of? AirPods? Cover and/or case? Thanks in advance. I haven't shopped for laptops in 8 years  |
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Post by theroadlesstraveledp on Sept 25, 2020 16:37:42 GMT
Try Costco for Apple. We checked the prices of the iPad and other accessories on Costco’s website. My mom bought an iPad (that’s the example I’m using) that she likes there a few months ago. She paid less than what other retailers were charging because it was on sale at the time. As far as what to look for, I’m not a lot of help there but I hope you find what you need.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 6, 2024 18:00:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 16:40:45 GMT
I would buy from Costco or B&H Electronics. B&H is known mostly for their photography equipment but I have purchased our last two Apple iMacs from B&H. Their return policy is also very agreeable. Costco should be fine, too.
If you can purchase with an education account you can get Airpods for free with the purchase of any Apple computer from the Apple website.
i5, i7 and i9 processors are comparable with speed. You may see references to quad-core processing. Very few applications used today by consumers take advantage of multi-core processing so no need to worry about paying extra for a faster processor. IMHO I do not think it is worth the money.
You definitely want to spend extra for more RAM and a higher end video card so you can get another 8-10 out of your computer purchase. You cannot upgrade RAM on a MacBook laptop (Air, regular or Pro) after buying it without Apple charging you an arm and a leg. You can take it to a third-party Mac dealer but it may void any AppleCare warranty. Make sure to double-check this.
For the SSD drive don't get anything less than 512GB and even that is pushing it close to ride this next 10 year wave of technology.
Holiday deals are usually pretty thin from Apple. Maybe $100 dollars off unless you buy a model that is two years old or older - those are usually discounted at a deeper level from the third party stores (like B&H or Costco). Then again Apple is having a hard time keeping up with demand for their products so they may not feel the need to put many things on sale - their second quarter revenues increased 11% so Apple doesn't need to attract sales. It's a tough call to wait and see.
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Post by Really Red on Sept 25, 2020 20:08:02 GMT
I would buy from Costco or B&H Electronics. B&H is known mostly for their photography equipment but I have purchased our last two Apple iMacs from B&H. Their return policy is also very agreeable. Costco should be fine, too. If you can purchase with an education account you can get Airpods for free with the purchase of any Apple computer from the Apple website. i5, i7 and i9 processors are comparable with speed. You may see references to quad-core processing. Very few applications used today by consumers take advantage of multi-core processing so no need to worry about paying extra for a faster processor. IMHO I do not think it is worth the money. You definitely want to spend extra for more RAM and a higher end video card so you can get another 8-10 out of your computer purchase. You cannot upgrade RAM on a MacBook laptop (Air, regular or Pro) after buying it without Apple charging you an arm and a leg. You can take it to a third-party Mac dealer but it may void any AppleCare warranty. Make sure to double-check this. For the SSD drive don't get anything less than 512GB and even that is pushing it close to ride this next 10 year wave of technology. Holiday deals are usually pretty thin from Apple. Maybe $100 dollars off unless you buy a model that is two years old or older - those are usually discounted at a deeper level from the third party stores (like B&H or Costco). Then again Apple is having a hard time keeping up with demand for their products so they may not feel the need to put many things on sale - their second quarter revenues increased 11% so Apple doesn't need to attract sales. It's a tough call to wait and see. Hmm. I am in the market for a lower end PC for my DD who needs it for school work. I have an I7 processor and was told by my gaming son not to get the I5 as it was too slow. Is that not true? I agree with the lots of RAM. I thought I got a lot, but it is never enough! |
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
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Post by kibblesandbits on Sept 26, 2020 12:25:40 GMT
Thanks for the info! I'm hoping this one holds out for a week or so - I can do some calling around and check stock at Costco.
I was griping about having to replace it, and a friend told me that this 8 year old laptop owes me nothing lol True, I guess. I remember replacing my Dell laptops all the time. Forgot about how awful they were.
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Post by peasapie on Sept 26, 2020 12:52:13 GMT
I would buy from Costco or B&H Electronics. B&H is known mostly for their photography equipment but I have purchased our last two Apple iMacs from B&H. Their return policy is also very agreeable. Costco should be fine, too. If you can purchase with an education account you can get Airpods for free with the purchase of any Apple computer from the Apple website. i5, i7 and i9 processors are comparable with speed. You may see references to quad-core processing. Very few applications used today by consumers take advantage of multi-core processing so no need to worry about paying extra for a faster processor. IMHO I do not think it is worth the money. You definitely want to spend extra for more RAM and a higher end video card so you can get another 8-10 out of your computer purchase. You cannot upgrade RAM on a MacBook laptop (Air, regular or Pro) after buying it without Apple charging you an arm and a leg. You can take it to a third-party Mac dealer but it may void any AppleCare warranty. Make sure to double-check this. For the SSD drive don't get anything less than 512GB and even that is pushing it close to ride this next 10 year wave of technology. Holiday deals are usually pretty thin from Apple. Maybe $100 dollars off unless you buy a model that is two years old or older - those are usually discounted at a deeper level from the third party stores (like B&H or Costco). Then again Apple is having a hard time keeping up with demand for their products so they may not feel the need to put many things on sale - their second quarter revenues increased 11% so Apple doesn't need to attract sales. It's a tough call to wait and see. This is really solid advice. We are an apple household full of tekkies and they have said many of the things you listed here. |
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Post by huskermom98 on Sept 26, 2020 13:47:33 GMT
I would definitely start looking now. I had to replace my HP a couple of weeks ago because it all of a sudden died on me in the middle of the day. I found that I either had to customize a new one and wait almost a month to get it, or take what I could get elsewhere. So many PC laptops were sold out everywhere that I looked. I can only assume it's the same for Macs since there are so many people buying new or upgrading because of working or learning from home (one of the larger districts in our metro area just bought new ipads or Macs for every student in the district on the assumption that they'd have to switch from in-person to online learning at some point during this school year.)
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Post by yivit on Sept 26, 2020 13:59:29 GMT
Yes, start looking now so you know what you'll need to spend. Macs tend to not have the "good sales" of PCs because of Apple's business model. If cost is an issue, you might want to look at the refurbished market. Older but still completely usable systems. One place I'm on all the time has them on occasion (woot.com).
Laptops in general have been harder to obtain quickly during the pandemic because of supply chain issues and demand, so keep that in mind as well.
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Post by Merge on Sept 26, 2020 15:24:30 GMT
I’ve always bought factory refurbs in recent models directly from Apple. No problems with them at all. They’re a little cheaper than brand new and you can still get Apple Care on them.
I’m looking at upgrading my almost six year old MacBook Pro. The battery drains very quickly (over 1000 charging cycles, so not unexpected), but more than that, the RAM that was sufficient for my needs in 2015 just doesn’t keep up with the demands of online teaching in 2020.
So put me in the more RAM camp, too.
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