Filed under: Hardware, Retail, Features, Apple, TUAW Tips, Deals
TUAW Tip: switch to the Mac on the cheap
The word that there might be as many as 9000 switchers a day got us thinking: maybe all those switchers could use some tips on how to save a few bucks while hopping the fence to white, black and aluminum pastures. Sure, Apple typically doesn't offer much in the way of excitement when it comes to zany blow-out sales on their products, but who says you have to buy your Apple stuff from Apple? There are plenty of resellers who offer some great deals to lure customers away from Apple's shiny stores, and discount watching sites can help you jump on time-sensitive sales. If you take our tips to heart, we guarantee both you and your credit card will sleep better at night with your next (or first) Mac purchase.
- Amazon - they don't always offer great deals, but we've caught them occasionally offering rebates around $150 on MacBooks and sometimes MacBook Pros.
- Apple Store Sale Area - Apple often posts batches of current and recent-model refurbished machines at significant discounts in the Sale section of the online Apple Store. Refurbished machines still have the same 1-year warranty coverage new ones do, so there really isn't much of a risk, and you can save serious cash.
- CDW's Mac Warehouse - CDW seems to get their hands on batches of 'factory fresh' machines that are simply one generation behind, so they sell at a deep discount (be sure to click the Mac Warehouse tab on the left). For example: as of this writing, CDW is selling a MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz Core Duo (one step behind the Core 2 Duo models Apple is selling now) for $600 off at a price of $1329. If you need a mobile pro Mac but not all the bells and whistles of the latest model, this is another great way to save on a brand new machine.
- Small Dog Electronics - A seller of more than just Macs, Small Dog has some great deals on recent and refurbished Macs, as well as some killer deals some older generation hardware all wrapped up in their Specials section. Example: as of this writing, Small Dog has 159 17-inch PowerBook G4 machines with full 90 day/1 year warranties for $1499 each. Again, if you don't need the latest and greatest, this is a killer deal from a very respected Mac reseller. You can even purchase AppleCare on these to secure your investment.
- Forevermac.com - For those in the UK, there's Forevermac. Since most of the TUAW blogging team lives in the US, however, we haven't had much personal experience here, but this name came well-recommended for our friends across the pond.
- Macmaps.com/usedrefurbished - If you're gunning for a used or refurbished Mac, this bare-bones page contains what looks like a pretty comprehensive list of stores that just might have what you need.
- Dealmac.com - Dealmac's tag line is "How to go broke saving money," and if you aren't careful, that phrase will quickly turn into a reality after using their deal sleuthing skills to snag too much gear. Dealmac employs an army of web surfers who constantly scour online (and sometimes even brick and mortar) stores for rock-bottom prices on new, used and refurbished electronics of all kinds, including Macs. If you don't feel like doing your own shopping, you can feel confident in parking your browser or customized RSS feed here for deals at all the stores we're listing, and more, for the best deals on Macs, accessories and other electronics.
- Pricewatch - One of the oldest computer-related shopping aggregator sites on the web, Pricewatch covers the vast scope of the entire computer industry. You can probably find good Mac deals from various retailers here, but we wanted to round up our list with Pricewatch because they're far more known for watching prices on just about everything else. PC Motherboards, unique external hard drives, gaming accessories, media cables and just about anything else electronic and computer-related can be found here. This is a great place to find that obscure accessory that the other more Mac-centric stores might not carry.
So have at it, Mac shoppers both old and new. We hope this list can help everyone save a few bucks when looking for that next big (or small) Mac purchase. As always, feel free to share your own wisdom and killer Mac deals in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Travis said 3:08PM on 3-22-2007
Also, you can call Apple directly and mention the deals at Amazon and the will work with you. I got them to knock 100 bucks off the top of a brand new MacBook and the option for 30% all peripehrals and 15% off all upgrades.
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Charles said 2:20PM on 3-22-2007
Another source of a huge discount: Apple Developer Connection. You can purchase a Select Membership for $500, which entitles you to a developer's discount on one system per year. The discount is substantial, but would only pay off big if you're buying a top-end system. I bought a loaded system and a big Cinema Display and got about $2500 in discounts, so I ended up about $2000 ahead. But if you're buying a laptop, you'd probably only break even. With your annual ADC membership, you also get DVDs of any new MacOS versions released during that year, so now would be a good time to buy, you'll get a free 10.5 upgrade.
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ClunkClunk said 2:27PM on 3-22-2007
Don't forget Apple Education discounts. They're not huge, but they're something. 10% is common, but even less for low end models.
Usually I end up purchasing at Amazon, especially if I'm buying a stock configuration. With their rotating $100 to $150 rebates, and no sales tax (for CA), they generally end up a bit cheaper than anywhere else.
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NotAwesome said 2:53PM on 3-22-2007
I use MacMall (macmall.com).
What makes them great for me is that I can get current hardware, with no tax and free shipping (on orders over $99, I believe--it varies).
When shopping for a computer, they also have sweet bundles too that vary: maxed out RAM for a fraction of the cost elsewhere, (ugly) carrying cases/bags, free printers that are actually OK, etc.
Just make sure to print out all of the rebate forms when you make your order. If you can't find one on the site, but you know it exists, call a sales rep and ask them to email one to you. And while they're at it, send you a pdf of your invoice/receipt. Fill out the rebate forms as soon as your booty arrives and send them in.
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Tom said 3:43PM on 3-22-2007
If your a UK student be sure to buy though the Apple NUS Store (You can get it via the NUS site) this will give you around 15% instead of the standard 7% student discount Apple offers.
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Tom said 3:22PM on 3-22-2007
oh and http://www.2ndchancepc.co.uk/ are another UK seller of cheap older Macs
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Fred said 4:41PM on 3-22-2007
Refurb, Refurb, Refurb. I got my 17" iMac Core Duo for like $200 less then retail! As an extra bonus nobody bothered to check the RAM slots when the thing came back to Apple, and I had a gig of RAM in it when it came to my door instead on the 512 listed! WEEE!
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racco said 3:42PM on 3-22-2007
you forgot eBay.
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sjshaw said 5:24PM on 3-22-2007
http://macprices.net/
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Enoch Peng said 5:54PM on 3-22-2007
May I have some suggestions on buying a mac in Canada? Is there any thing that offers better deal than student discount apple gives? Thanks in advance
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Jim Hummel said 6:51PM on 3-22-2007
MacConnection (http://www.macconnection.com) is offering up to $150 off Macs along with free a free bag (for laptop purchases), free Parallels, and free photo printer (all after rebate)...No need to purchase an older model or refurbished when you can get up to $150 off the MAP and a bunch of freebies!
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Tonio Loewald said 6:31PM on 3-22-2007
You might also consider some of the excellent free Mac software, including Blender.org, OpenOffice.org, TextWrangler (BareBones.com), Smultron (er ... google it)...
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Dave Chartier said 7:10PM on 3-22-2007
'K' and '#': Your entirely rude and wholly nonconstructive comment has been deleted twice now. Please don't submit it a third time.
Either contribute to the conversation in a positive way, bring up a topic to debate in a non-confrontational or flame-baiting way, or don't comment at all.
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Ed said 9:59PM on 3-22-2007
Mac Prices at http://www.macprices.net (used to be .com) is one of the best places on the net to shop for all Macs. They have price trackers for new models as well as older Macs, and they update by hand every day (no robots). Most Apple internet retailers are listed on their pages. I've gotten my last three Macs through their site.
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artifex said 3:54AM on 3-23-2007
I almost bought from MacMall this week, but the process to add on the "free" stuff ended up being too complicated. I added everything I thought I was supposed to add, then was taken to another page where they were all listed again, not added, then for the checkout i was shown only a few of the rebates I was expecting.
So right now I think a refurb from Apple, with edu discount, probably is the best way to go. I'm leaning strongly towards a cheap Intel Mini to replace my G4 Mini, and it's socketed so I can upgrade it myself to Core 2 Duo. But I keep thinking they will announce C2D soon for Mini, also, hopefully with a move to Socket P so it has 800MHz FSB, not 667. ***note, I don't think anyone has speculated on this, yet***
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Steve said 11:08AM on 3-23-2007
I recently got my 17" MBP from Amazon: $2799 - $150 MIR with no tax = Savings of over $450. I was going to wait for Leopard, but I figured the $150 rebate would cover the cost of the upgrade when it's released.
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David said 8:45PM on 3-23-2007
The physical Apple stores themselves sometimes have refurbs or demo units on hand. Last month I scored a Core Duo 17" MBP that was a store demo unit - but its fit and finish is still great. It was only $1300 - I think they were nearly $2800 when new? I was looking for a Mac but didn't need the absolute latest, just something reasonable.
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