Best place to buy 4GB ver. of MBA?

[palebluedot]

Forgive me if this has been a pre-discussed topic (I searched and couldn't find anything).

I was wondering what the rest of the kind folks of MR did in relation to getting your Macbook Air's with 4GB of RAM? I am buying one for my girlfriend for Christmas (I'm a MBP man myself) and I am wanting to get the base 13" model but with 4GB of RAM so she can properly do HD video, run VMWare if need be, etc.

Of course you buy from Apple and customize but the end result is a $100 more charge than buying it from Amazon (through OnSale reseller) or MacMall. I would love to save $100 bucks of course, so I was wondering if any of you knew of alternative places to buy the MBA?

I am a little wary of buying through Amazon because it is not sold directly by Amazon (it is sold via OnSale) and MacMall I have read horror stories on misregistering of serials, cheap RAM, poor shipping/customer service, etc.

Did all of you that got 4GB MBA's just buy through Apple and pay the extra 100+ bucks?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[gdeputy]

I paid 1460 after tax and shipping for a 13" 1.83ghz 4gb ram 128gbsdd

I used my education discout though, saved me like 70 bucks or something.

 

[almostjay]

I paid $1,316 for the 1.83GHz/4GB/128GB through MacMall. It arrived at my house about 36 hours after pressing "Buy" and has worked flawlessly from the first bootup. I hope to not jinx myself given all of the various complaints about MacMall and the quality of the machine itself, but I am a very satisfied customer right now.

 

[palebluedot]

I paid $1,316 for the 1.83GHz/4GB/128GB through MacMall. It arrived at my house about 36 hours after pressing "Buy" and has worked flawlessly from the first bootup. I hope to not jinx myself given all of the various complaints about MacMall and the quality of the machine itself, but I am a very satisfied customer right now.

Thanks for your input guys! Almostjay, was the computer you got from MacMall sealed/brand new in box? Also did you check the serial to see if they registered it before they sent it to you or on the day you bought it?

Did you do any of the MacMall promotions and if so how were they?

Also (last question), did you pay tax on the MacMall purchase? Thanks!

 

[KPOM]

I got mine from MacMall, too. It was new, and I registered it when I received it. The first system had the wake-from-sleep issue, and 3 days later I was able to exchange it at an Apple store for an identical model (which reset the warranty period). I didn't get any of the "free" promotion items since I didn't need them and didn't want the hassle of rebates. That said, I did use the Apple Insider coupon code to get an extra 3% off at the time (it's 2% now).

 

[Romulus]

$1349 from MacMall, ordered during the first week from release. Took them one week to get the BTO since it was so new, and several days to get it to my door.

Ordered over the phone, tried to up-sell as expected, but after explaining that I have most of the offered software, printer, and insurance, finished the conversation on a happy note. One additional phone call from their credit card department to confirm, no further up-selling.

Overall, happy with transaction... knock on wood...

 

[palebluedot]

$1349 from MacMall, ordered during the first week from release. Took them one week to get the BTO since it was so new, and several days to get it to my door.

Ordered over the phone, tried to up-sell as expected, but after explaining that I have most of the offered software, printer, and insurance, finished the conversation on a happy note. One additional phone call from their credit card department to confirm, no further up-selling.

Overall, happy with transaction... knock on wood...

And they sent you a SEALED computer right? I guess there is really no way for them to install "Cheap RAM" like some claim they do on a MacBook Air since it is all directly on the logic board.

 

[zstar]

And they sent you a SEALED computer right? I guess there is really no way for them to install "Cheap RAM" like some claim they do on a MacBook Air since it is all directly on the logic board.

I ordered my Macbook Air through the Singapore Apple Online Store and so cannot comment on Macmall, although to answer your second question, yes that is absolutely true. If you are really worried about that, you could always use System Profiler and verify your RAM by comparing your RAM model and serial number to others etc.

 

[dmelgar]

And they sent you a SEALED computer right? I guess there is really no way for them to install "Cheap RAM" like some claim they do on a MacBook Air since it is all directly on the logic board.

RAM soldered on the logic board. Reseller can't add it after the fact.

I ordered it from Apple's online store. It was just ok. I generally will avoid the online store. They ship it directly from China. Felt like took forever. I like getting it from Apple in case I wanted to return it. Macmall essentially doesn't allow returns on opened items.
I did end up returning it. Was a hassle having to ship it back. Couldn't return it to a store. There was some confusion regarding who had to pay return shipping.

All worked out in the end. I ended up getting an 11" Ultimate from the store. I didn't really need the upgrade CPU but didn't want to deal with the online store.

 

[almostjay]

Thanks for your input guys! Almostjay, was the computer you got from MacMall sealed/brand new in box? Also did you check the serial to see if they registered it before they sent it to you or on the day you bought it?

Did you do any of the MacMall promotions and if so how were they?

Also (last question), did you pay tax on the MacMall purchase? Thanks!

Yes it was sealed/brand new. I don't think cheap RAM is a concern with this model, but honestly, if I found out my machine was somehow tampered with and is using cheap RAM right now, I don't even think I would care because the system works incredibly well/fast.

My extra low price was also due to the added Apple Insider discount, I should have specified that. I didn't do any of the promotions because I don't need any of that crap and rebates are a hassle, and no, I did not pay tax (that was the main reason I went with MacMall).

I registered the computer myself several days after I got it. I'm assuming this wouldn't have worked if MacMall had registered it before they sent it to me? Why would they do that anyway? I don't understand the concern there...

 

[stockscalper]

I had a bad experience trying to get one from one of the major authorized resellers. I placed an order for a BTO MBA and they told me I would have it within 8 to 12 days. Three weeks later I had not received it so I called them and they told me they had not gotten if from Apple yet. So I canceled my order and went online and ordered it from Apple and six days later it was delivered. If you are needing it fast you might want to go directly to Apple.

 

[vd0t]

$1316 at Macmall with 4GB upgrade on the 13" 1.86Ghz MBA. Black friday discount

 

[palebluedot]

$1316 at Macmall with 4GB upgrade on the 13" 1.86Ghz MBA. Black friday discount

I assume that discount is over?

 

[almostjay]

I had a bad experience trying to get one from one of the major authorized resellers. I placed an order for a BTO MBA and they told me I would have it within 8 to 12 days. Three weeks later I had not received it so I called them and they told me they had not gotten if from Apple yet. So I canceled my order and went online and ordered it from Apple and six days later it was delivered. If you are needing it fast you might want to go directly to Apple.

Not necessarily true. See what the stock is like at each store and then make your decision. MacMall has my BTO on hand so it got to me much faster than it would have from Apple in China.

 

[KPOM]

I assume that discount is over?

Yes, but they have a slightly lesser discount still available if you do some digging on the Apple Insider website. If you are sure you won't want to return it (since MacMall sales are final) then I'd be OK recommending them. I ordered my Rev B through ClubMac (a former division of MacMall), and my Rev D through MacMall directly and never had any issues getting service with either of them from Apple. Both were brand new and sealed.

 

[stockscalper]

Not necessarily true. See what the stock is like at each store and then make your decision. MacMall has my BTO on hand so it got to me much faster than it would have from Apple in China.

Do a search on these boards for MacMall and read others experiences with them and you might want to change your opinion.

 

[Pipper99]

I ordered a 13" MBA ultimate from Apple online. I ordered over the phone, and I told the Apple rep that MacMall was selling the MBA for a (very) small discount, free shipping, and no tax. The Apple rep discounted the price enough to bring my total cost with tax just ever so slightly better than MacMall's total cost. I was glad because I didn't want to buy from MacMall after reading some of the issues posted on this forum.

 

[reddirt14]

$1250 for that configuration. I negotiated hard - I'm assuming that's the best you can get based on prior responses.

 

[palebluedot]

$1250 for that configuration. I negotiated hard - I'm assuming that's the best you can get based on prior responses.

Apple actually lets you negotiate with them on the phone? I had no idea! How do you even bring that up?

 

[treynolds]

I purchased mine directly via the Apple Store and paid their full price versus trying to save a few bucks by going with a reseller (nothing wrong with that...) I decided that in the end, it was better for MY PEACE OF MIND (ymmv) to purchase at the store so that I would be able to easily use the Genius Bar or return it if necessary. So far, no issues...

Also, I paid more ($1799) for the full-up version of the 13.3", because BTO's are not returnable to the store.

But that's just me. I saved a bundle by buying in Oregon versus Washington (9.5%), so I figured I could afford to pay the full store price. And even if I'd gotten it thru a reseller, the most I would have saved would have been a $100 give or take (at the time), and I just didn't think the savings was worth the hassle if something went south with the unit.

So far, no complaints.

 

[reddirt14]

Mine was through a reseller. Sometimes there is a little wiggle room on price. I don't think you can negotiate at the store although in this thread (I believe) there was a post about negotiating (matching a competitor reseller) with the Apple Rep.

To be honest, the discounts are slim and I wouldn't feel bad buying it at the store. Feel good if you can negotiate a discount anywhere - it's not easy.

 

[Xeperu]

I paid Euro 980 for my 13" 4gb while on a business trip in HongKong. Nice to know thats 420 euros cheaper than buying it locally.

 

[tivoboy]

Wow

Wow, I both

A didn't know you could get a BTO from a reseller
B that apple would lower their price over the phone!

what is happening with this world.

 

[jamesryanbell]

$1250 for that configuration. I negotiated hard - I'm assuming that's the best you can get based on prior responses.

Negotiated? What do you mean? I thought all prices were FIRMLY set no matter what.

 

[reddirt14]

Negotiated? What do you mean? I thought all prices were FIRMLY set no matter what.

I paid $1,250 for a 13" MBA with 4 gb of ram. So the prices are not always exactly as Apple sets them. Resellers buy the units at a lower price than they sell them for and the difference is called "margin". Some resellers realize that if they sell the units at a lower price, they will sell more of them and hence the overall profit to the business is higher... i.e. Capitalism is reborn during the rein of Mr. Jobs.

With that said, it's a small discount - nothing too get excited about. I also got it without sales tax. Overall I'm happy. I can afford that price and it was a deciding factor in my purchase, so hopefully Mr. Jobs is also happy to convert one more PC user over at the breaking point and leaving very little money on the table.