Buying 17" MBP - Pre purchase questions.

[MaddieBrad]

I am finally getting my 17" MBP. I am an American living in London and I return Aug 19th for my brothers wedding in Minneapolis. I have been waiting to buy so that i could buy at the American Doller price, using my British Pounds = Saving a butt load of money. I have a few concerns, and a couple of questions..

1st: Is this yellow screen issue sorted now? Should I be concerned?

2nd: I see a lot of people refering to the week of their MBP Build stating that the later builds have screens without issues. With that said am I more likely to get a most recent build from the Apple Store, or by ordering online???

3rd: I want to get the High Res screen on the 17". Is this even available in the Apple Stores, or is this considered a custom order??

4th: Lastly, I have noticed people stating that one particular make of screen out performs another, (LG VS Samsung), Is there a way of knowing which screen is in the machine before opening it? Perhaps I could look at the boxes before purchasing? ie serial numbers etc...

Thanks in advance for your help guys,

B

 

[Kawasaki]

better exchange rate...And NO VAT!

 

[sfisher]

1st: Is this yellow screen issue sorted now? Should I be concerned?

I believe that only affected the 15" MBP.

3rd: I want to get the High Res screen on the 17". Is this even available in the Apple Stores, or is this considered a custom order??

It is available in stores with the additional customization of the 7200rpm 160GB hard drive and is available only with a matte display.

 

[MaddieBrad]

so who has newer stock?

Apple Store, or Apple Online store?

b

 

[fishkorp]

like said before, no yellowing on the 17", that only applies to the 15" LED displays.

the in-store hi-res models come matte only with 7200rpm drive (also stated above). i would imagine online has the freshest stock. myself, i didn't want to wait, so i bought it at the store. nothing like walking in, telling them what you want, and walking out with it. got my 17" hi-res almost a week ago and love it. i upgraded from a 15" CoreDuo MBP. the extra screen real estate is amazing for developers. it's also cooler and quieter then my previous one.

 

[timnosenzo]

1st: Is this yellow screen issue sorted now? Should I be concerned?

Only applies to the 15" MBP's

2nd: I see a lot of people refering to the week of their MBP Build stating that the later builds have screens without issues. With that said am I more likely to get a most recent build from the Apple Store, or by ordering online???

Only applies to the 15" MBP's

3rd: I want to get the High Res screen on the 17". Is this even available in the Apple Stores, or is this considered a custom order??

As said before, you can get a hi-res in store, but only matte and with the 7200 RPM drive.

4th: Lastly, I have noticed people stating that one particular make of screen out performs another, (LG VS Samsung), Is there a way of knowing which screen is in the machine before opening it? Perhaps I could look at the boxes before purchasing? ie serial numbers etc...

Only applies to the 15" MBP's

so who has newer stock?

Apple Store, or Apple Online store?

I think its probably the same. I went to my local Apple store to buy one and they were sold out, so I ordered one from the Apple store and I had to wait about 2 weeks for it. Seems they're pretty popular--and rightfully so, I'm VERY happy with mine.

 

[Neutral Gamer]

Passing through Customs at the Airport

better exchange rate...And NO VAT!

Hi, I'm thinking of doing the same thing. My sister's coming back from America at the end of this month and I could get her to buy a 17" MBP Hi Res with 7200rpm HDD and Apple Care that would save me nearly £400 or even £500 if go for the Refurbished model.

That's quite a saving! But what about Customs when you come back to the UK; if they stop you you'll have to pay another 17.5% for VAT and no doubt a fine for not telling them.

Anyone know what the chances are of being stopped if you decide to go through the "Nothing to Declare" section. If she keeps the laptop with her in hand luggage will she be able to get away with it?

Cheers.