Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is apple carrying the 4GB MBA in store?
- Thread starter MikeinJapan
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Exactly. I hate it when people don't read threads all the way through.
Well, after 45 minutes on hold (35 million people in a city with two stores doesn't seem right), I went to the store pretty much as you guys said. They had the fully loaded 13.3 and 11.6" with four gig but no other combos. I just bought the fully loaded 13" with educational discount (im a teacher). I'm not restoring from time machine. I spent about $350 more than I wanted to but got double the SSD and faster processor so in the long run it is for the best. This month maybe financially tight however still comfortable.
I couldn't get a discount on the ultimate in stores ( Richmond, BC, Canada )
I was looking for the base model 13.3 with 4gb of ram, they told me they had the ultimate, i was going to get it and they denied me discount which i was quite unhappy about, and i decided to just get it online.
Ended up ordering the base model with 4gb ram, saved me about $500 after tax.
Wait - they denied you the educational discount at an Apple Retail store? That is not right. Did you have student/faculty/staff ID with you? Did you speak to a manager when they refused you the discount?
They only let me get the base models with educational discount, which was weird,
The employee talked to the manager when i decided to get the ultimate 13.
I didn't understand, but the guy was pretty clear, and really there isn't much i can do, i should have tried the other apple stores.
Considering that Apple's own education website has all 4 MacBook Air models for $50 off (plus $10 off each for the RAM and CPU upgrades), you should go back to the store and complain.
I got the fully loaded MBA with Edu discount and it wasn't even an issue that they considered. I think if it is in the program, it is in the program.
Uh yes there is - call Apple Customer Relations and speak with them about your experience. You are entitled on the full 70 USD discount on the ultimate configurations. Apple Retail Stores match Apple Online Store prices so the manager was really talking out of his !@@.
You may even get something extra for the inconvenience.
Just went to check at my local Apple store which did not answer phone calls.
They didn't have any in stock, but it sounded like they did get them in at times. Did the same thing as you and ordered it online. Now begins a long wait
Are you sure they checked "the back?" I had to hit up 3 Apple store employees till I found one willing to walk to the back and look for it. For some reason, the ultimate configs don't readily pop up in their inventory system.
For the OP, congrats on your new MBA 13 Ultimate! It was the only one I considered from the very beginning and ended up buying.
I noticed that, too. The Apple Genius was insisting that my replacement "Ultimate 13" would be shipped to me as a CTO, but then he looked in back and said they had one in stock. I'm guessing that Apple intended for only the 2GB models to be sold in the stores but then changed course once it realized that the "ultimate" models were selling well.
Anyway, I notice that on Apple's online store, all base configurations are now shipping in 1-2 business days (1-3 on the $999 model), and the "Ultimate 13" now has a 3-5 business day shipping period (2-4 with the 1.86GHz and 256GB SSD). These things are really selling like hotcakes!
Apple does this normally. You can usually get the top model instore. My closest store sells the 27" iMac i7 and the same for the 17" MBP (they have all the screens). I think they know the people that want the best don't want to wait so buy the cheaper models, This way around it is win win.
The same thing happened to me. The first time I called the OKC Apple Store and inquired about the 13 inch Ultimate MBA, 3 weeks ago, the guy I talked to said they didn't have any and wouldn't be getting them. I called a day or 2 later, was told they had them, went to the store to buy it, and only then was told they didn't have one in stock after all. I called again the next day but this time talked to the products manager. He not only assured me they had the 13 inch Ultimate MBA, he said he was holding it in his hands and would put my name on it. He was telling the truth. When I picked up my MBA from him I realized that he had also sold me my iPad and configured it for me. It's a small world.