I've finally made my decision to switchover to Mac after spending my entire life on Windows (all 18 years of it!). However, I'm finding it quite difficult to find a website to purchase. The obvious sites that first came to my mind was amazonUK(?), eBay (trustworthy?) and the official Apple site (expensive!). Could anyone recommend any good places to buy the specified Macbook, taking into account that I live in the UK? Also, do you think it's worth it to upgrade the 120GB hard drive to 160GB? Thanks
UPDATE: I was just looking on the Apple refurb section and found a really good good deal. £699 for the macbook I want making it £130 cheaper than their official price. However I'm weary about buying a refurb product as I have never bought one. What are the differences between these and new products?
You can buy refurbished with complete peace of mind. They are computers that have been returned because they were faulty or simply not wanted after the original package was open. After being thoroughly checked and repaired if needed they are sold as refurbished with the same warranty as a brand new one. Where do you live in the UK? Edit: Are you a student?
I live in Worcester in the West Midlands. No I'm not s student at the moment, just started my gap year. But if you are referring to a student discount, could I use my sister's account as she is a student?
If she has a NUS card ask her to access the Apple Store for Higher Education from her institution's network where you get the products at tax free prices. The one you want is £829 in the high street and £705 at the Apple Store for Higher Education. If she does not have a NUS card you can still get a student discount by visiting the Apple Store for Education. Go to the Apple Store website and click on the bottom left where it says "Education Discounts". Here the price is £780.
That £705 price tag sounds great but she's back home from university at the moment. Does that mean it's impossible to purchase at that cost even is she does have an NUS card?
You can only access the Apple Store for Higher Education from an institution network. She can give Apple a ring and explain the situation that she is at uni and would like to buy a MacBook with the discount for Higher Education but she can not access the uni's network because she is at home for the summer. The operator should be able to honour the discount after she emails proof of her being at uni (remember the price for Higher Education is £705). The MacBook has a user replaceable hard drive (piece of cake to change) so it is better to go with the stock option and then if you want more storage just get one and put it in yourself. It will cost the same as the upgrade but you keep the one that comes with the MB.
Thanks for your help so far. It's helped a lot. Just wondering, do you HAVE to have a NUS card to get discount or is only proof of attendance necessary? In response to the hard drive advice, it's an excellent idea. Thanks for that. Just annoyed that I missed my chance of getting the refurb Macbook today from Apple! Someone snatched it from me just after I went to checkout!!
You will have to give them a ring and see what they ask for. I asked if she had a NUS card to see if she was eligible for the higher education discount or just the normal one. Do not worry about the refurbished MB. They come and go on a regular basis. Just keep on checking daily. If your sister can get the MB with the higher education discount go for it and forget the refurbished because AFAIK when you get them through the apple store for higher education you get a 3 year warranty instead of the normal 1 year.
