Apple's running the back to school deal. I know Apple has always been expensive, but maybe this is a good time to buy a mac and get an iPod for less price…
Apple's Back to School Deal
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I noticed that you got voted down.. Probably the mac fans voting you down for saying it's overpriced.
No one sane can argue the mac isn't overpriced. Especially the new generation macs which offer very poor value for money. Check out any review and they all say the same, poor value - average performance. Except mac sites, which are biased as hell anyway.
TBH I would never buy a mac, it's just too annoying to have to run boot camp and crap. There's a reason why mac's run bootcamp, but window's just runs windows. I'd prefer to save myself the headache.
I guess I was saying that for a student (even a uni student) to outlay that amount of money to buy a laptop (regardless of whether it's a Mac or not) is a lot to ask. And then to outlay money for an iPod too? IMO, that's too much to spend all at once.
seriously not wanting to start some mac v pc war on my favourite site,
but seems your 'check out ANY review and they say all the same…' comment is biased to say the least. just looked at my APC mags, cNET, PCauthority, etc and they're still very favourable reviews… none say POOR value!
i used to scoff at the guys at the store who tried to sell me a mac 5 years ago… from there i bought a fairly disappointing acer… but believe it or not, it was the ipod deal just like this one 2-3 years ago that hooked me (amongst the intel chip + bootcamp).. This eventually converted me… and yes… now i own a mac, and i won't go back.
and i have persuaded many now-happy friends to own one too… and a deal like this one is a perfect introduction for mac newbies.my bro has XP/Vista/Win 7 machines, and although i still find huge merit in them, i simply cannot compare it to the ease of performing everyday tasks on the mac. it's all personal in the end… but in the 3 years of owning a mac.. i definitely did not feel ripped off by "paying more"… it's an exclusive brand, take it or leave it.
so unless there are a heap of substantially significant reviews i've missed… and in combination with your ending comment as you would 'never buy a mac', that speaks for itself!
although bootcamp was a drawcard, i didn't get to use it, i much preferred VMware+XP, and i love it.
I'm guessing you didn't read the latest reviews for the macbook on pc authority then (not the ones in the mac section). It gives you the power of the XPS, for only $1000 more.
But you're right, it is an exclusive brand, which is why you pay the apple tax. I admit that the last generation of macbooks were decent value, but not these latest ones.. Great, it has an aluminium shell, but if looks aren't that important then it's bad value.
Of course if image is important, and you're in that 'mac' crowd then this is a good deal, i'm just saying you can get a better computer for less money.
Strange how people are downmodding sirhc's comments. He seems to be making sense to me
@walugi: personally, i voted up sirhc's comments, for that matter… as i do not disagree that the official macstore prices are almost always never come down and you can find slightly cheaper in other places like JB nowadays…
sure it seems expensive, especially for uni students… but man, they're everywhere in my campus! (so maybe not be such an issue to some) so for the usually ignorant masses who (who do not look at bargain sites like we do) it may still be a bargain to them (thus i still voted up the actual post).
honestly, i looked at reviews on iMacs, not macbooks, (as they are still eligible for this)… as I am interested in getting that much later on… but i get ur point.
but i will say this… saying which computer is better is purely subjective. my bro has a vista.. now win7 6 month old $2500 HP laptop which on paper absolutely creams my 3 year old $1800 plain macbook, but upon performing daily tasks like booting>then doing everyday work/school tasks/music/movies/net (which we do 95% of the time)… the mac is just timeless, and still keeps up with the 6 month old HP (if not faster)… in the 3 years of my ONE mac… my brother has changed his laptop 3 TIMES… specs are important, but not everything.
i will never be able to render movies or play 3D games, but i still say money was well spent considering my whole end-user experience in my everyday computing.
This has the 10% EDU discount (already applied) which makes it somewhat worthwhile. Then add on the 5% MoneyBackCo discount and you've got yourself a somewhat deal. Free shipping too.
I suppose yes, you could negotiate a better price from a retailer, however you will instantly lose out on your iPod, the 10% EDU discount as well as the 5% (pre-tax) discount from MBC.
Unlike last years deal though, you don't get the FULL purchase price of the iPod off, only $179. However, you can easily resell the iPod nano 8GB for about that much on eBay and collect on your costs.
Let's examine; RRP on entry-level Macbook is $1649. You get it for $1569 due to edu discount. $80 saving. Then you spend $199 to get an iPod 8GB nano, and get $179 back - so the iPod cost is $20. You sell the iPod for $170 on eBay, pay about $12 in fees, and you make $158-$20 = $138. So $138+80 = $218 saving so far. Then you get 5% from the pre-tax price of the Macbook+iPod which is ($1427+$181) * 5% = $80.40 . So $298.4 saved making the net cost ($1649-$298.4) = $1350.6. Not a bad price for a brand new Macbook.
That's only assuming you have a) time to sell iPod on eBay, b) effort to sell item on eBay, c) Have a MBC account (you should).
It also assumes everything goes as planned and my numbers are correct, they may not be, so your mileage may vary. I did this last year on a couple of Macbooks and iPods which I resold and made a decent profit on.
I'm sorry didn't mention this before, but can we buy the refurbished iPod as well? If so, then we can get cheaper iPods…
Sounds pretty good. Already got an iPod so could easily mean some extra $$ off the computer itself
I am a mac fan, but just reading the "value for money" area where people have no experience which is a little overstated. I have bought and sold macbook and let me tell you what is good value for money. I bought one back in 2006 for $1800 and sold it in 2008 for $1100 on eBay. With the tax depreciation over the 2 year I owned it, I almost felt like I spent nothing. Tell me you can do the same with a XPS, and whatever branded laptop. That's why without a doubt I bought another macbook.
For cyssero, the EDU discount nowadays is only around 3% for macbooks, a little more for other mac line but nowhere near 10% as before.
Got a similar deal in 2007 - $199 rebate when ipod purchased with a mac. Good deal if interested or needing to buy the mac in the first place since the nano was $199 back then (ie. got it free)
I voted FOR the deal even though I too believe (well well all KNOW don't we (wink-wink) that Apple hardware is somewhat overpriced in the USA, and VERY overpriced here in Aust.
I admit to owning 5 iPods, and a 1st gen JebusPhone, and they suit my needs well, and they are not perfect. I only buy refurb iPods direct from Apple which bring the price back to the pack at least, and the come with 12 months warranty from Apple, and I've never had a problem. I order one day, it's delivered (free) the next day. Anyway…
I'm not starting or flaming the flames of a Mac-PC flame war either because they are ALL just PC's (Personal Computers).
The fact that Apple chooses to brand it's version of PC's as Mac, or Macintosh to be correct does not hide the fact that they are the same guts-and-bits as any other PC out there. The Colonel calls his product KFC too, doesn't hide the fact that it's still FRIED CHICKEN :-)Evidenced by the fact that the hottest selling "Apple" computer right now is the Dell Mini 9, or an MSI Wind that runs Apple OS.X virutally out-of-the-box. Giving the Apple customers what they have been screaming for, for a couple of years now, a modern, small form-factor notebook, running the Apple OS that (apparently) is just SO AMAZINGLY awesome that after all these many years and versions, has managed to capture <10% of the worldwide market. I mean think about it. In life, if things are truly THAT good, they filter to the top naturally. We are told again and again how GOOD the Apple ecosystem is, yet after 25 years it's still a fringe entity with a market share to match. What's up there ?
Anyway… back to the "deal". My honest opinion is that if you are a customer of Apple's PC's already then you will pay whatever they charge and don't really need a deal. You are conditioned to not even bothering to seek them out. Apple says THI$ MUCH PLEA$E and you say "Here you are Mr Jobs… please sir, may I have another". But if they are offering this deal, and you are already buying a an Apple PC, then yeah, why not.
How to get the moneybackco discount?
It seems it's only for itunes store - is that correct?
Hi, we've just reinstated the [Apple offer](https://secure.moneybackco.com/merchants/Apple-Store/ "Apple MBC offer") on MBC, .
Cheers, Steve.
I'm not going to vote it down, but it's not a good deal for me.
Buy an overpriced computer and an overpriced MP3 from the Mac Store or one of the places we decide (check T & C's) and we'll give you $179 off.
It's not a bad deal if you're desperate to get an iPod AND a Mac (in the same transaction either online or at particular stores they choose). Just make sure you check the terms and conditions to see which iPods are included.