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Mac Mini via Amazon

S

sunandsurf

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 23, 2008
130
3
not a big deal but i checked amazon's site and while they're selling the mac minis, it appears that you can't choose x or y; it's just a or b.

not a big deal cuz i'll go through the apple website but i just wondered if anyone else would confirm that; or maybe i'm missing something and there are options.

just wondering...

thanks.
 
ha! sorry about that!

what i meant is that you can't choose 2.3 vs 2.6 processor, can't choose how much ram, what kind of hard drive, etc.

honestly, i don't see a price difference and apple is shipping the minis for free so there's really no incentive to buy from amazon vs apple.

as a matter of fact, i just placed my order for a mini through apple's site....

i would love to max everything out but i decided to be honest and practical; for my needs, i don't need to push it. the one thing i didn't spring for was the ram; way too expensive; will increase it on my own later...
 
sunandsurf said:
ha! sorry about that!

what i meant is that you can't choose 2.3 vs 2.6 processor, can't choose how much ram, what kind of hard drive, etc.

honestly, i don't see a price difference and apple is shipping the minis for free so there's really no incentive to buy from amazon vs apple.

as a matter of fact, i just placed my order for a mini through apple's site....

i would love to max everything out but i decided to be honest and practical; for my needs, i don't need to push it. the one thing i didn't spring for was the ram; way too expensive; will increase it on my own later...
Click to expand...

Amazon only sells the pre-configured Minis (no BTO options). The only advantage I have from ordering from Amazon over Apple is that I don't have to pay sales tax. If you want something that isn't available on the standard model, Apple is the way to go.
 
The only reason I see to order via Apple's site is if you really want that upgraded CPU. Upgrading RAM is so easy and much cheaper to do it on your own that I don't see any reason to pay Apple whatever ridiculous amount they're asking for 8 or 16GB. Swapping out the hard drive(s) isn't a huge issue either in my opinion. Hundreds of dollars can be saved my making these simple modifications yourself. Also, like stated earlier, Amazon is tax free (in most areas) and you can have your Mac the next day if you'd like.

I ordered my 2.3 Mini yesterday with 16GB RAM and my total, shipped, was $875. The same configuration via Apple would be around $1186. No thank you.
 
Jarpo said:
The only reason I see to order via Apple's site is if you really want that upgraded CPU. Upgrading RAM is so easy and much cheaper to do it on your own that I don't see any reason to pay Apple whatever ridiculous amount they're asking for 8 or 16GB. Swapping out the hard drive(s) isn't a huge issue either in my opinion. Hundreds of dollars can be saved my making these simple modifications yourself. Also, like stated earlier, Amazon is tax free (in most areas) and you can have your Mac the next day if you'd like.

I ordered my 2.3 Mini yesterday with 16GB RAM and my total, shipped, was $875. The same configuration via Apple would be around $1186. No thank you.
Click to expand...

Yes Apple charges tax, but they also have an offer through a credit card on their site for no interest for 12 months on most purchases. So Yes you might pay $80-$100 more in taxes, it's also good if you want to build credit and buy now with no money.

On the contrary I agree with you, you should buy Ram elsewhere as Apple charges to much.
 
Jarpo said:
The only reason I see to ...

I ordered my 2.3 Mini yesterday with 16GB RAM and my total, shipped, was $875. The same configuration via Apple would be around $1186. No thank you.
Click to expand...

Wow; if it's all right with you, may I ask where you ordered your mini?
 
tears2040 said:
Yes Apple charges tax, but they also have an offer through a credit card on their site for no interest for 12 months on most purchases. So Yes you might pay $80-$100 more in taxes, it's also good if you want to build credit and buy now with no money.

On the contrary I agree with you, you should buy Ram elsewhere as Apple charges to much.
Click to expand...

Amazon is also offering 12 months no interest on all items over $599 if you sign up or already have their store card.
 
sunandsurf said:
not a big deal but i checked amazon's site and while they're selling the mac minis, it appears that you can't choose x or y; it's just a or b.

not a big deal cuz i'll go through the apple website but i just wondered if anyone else would confirm that; or maybe i'm missing something and there are options.

just wondering...

thanks.
Click to expand...
I ordered the 2.6 i7 from Apple and my 2.3 i7 from Amazon.
 
snapper2323 said:
Amazon is also offering 12 months no interest on all items over $599 if you sign up or already have their store card.
Click to expand...

Problem is you can't configure custom computers on Amazon. On top of that their Credit card is harder to get approved for (I tried, got denied)

But yeah I buy everything at Amazon, like all of my video and photography equipment so Thanks for the heads up as Amazon for many states does not charge tax
 
Checkout B&H Photo Video for an alternative. They have comparable pricing to apple, with the exception they only charge 104 for the apple care. They have free shipping and no sales tax outside NY. They also have available different configurations ie 2.6 vs 2.3 fusion drive vs 1tb drive.
 
scottyd1119 said:
Checkout B&H Photo Video for an alternative. They have comparable pricing to apple, with the exception they only charge 104 for the apple care. They have free shipping and no sales tax outside NY. They also have available different configurations ie 2.6 vs 2.3 fusion drive vs 1tb drive.
Click to expand...

I'm a College student so I only paid $99 for the Apple care + some other small discounts.
 
tears2040 said:
Yes Apple charges tax, but they also have an offer through a credit card on their site for no interest for 12 months on most purchases. So Yes you might pay $80-$100 more in taxes, it's also good if you want to build credit and buy now with no money.
Click to expand...

That offer is only available if you get approved for the Barclay's Apple credit card. It's available for the first 30 days and sometimes comes around for card holders.

I was just looking at the Amazon site. i7 version is $799.99 (same as Apple). I'd save $52.00 on tax if I order from there. It's an option.
 
iMas70 said:
That offer is only available if you get approved for the Barclay's Apple credit card. It's available for the first 30 days and sometimes comes around for card holders.

I was just looking at the Amazon site. i7 version is $799.99 (same as Apple). I'd save $52.00 on tax if I order from there. It's an option.
Click to expand...

Yes, but Amazon does not have the 2.6ghz version yet, which is the one I am buying. Also I am getting a slight education discount as well.
 
Jarpo, I'm wondering if you'll see this but I'm still interested in knowing where you ordered your mini for such a good price.

Thanks.
 
sunandsurf said:
Jarpo, I'm wondering if you'll see this but I'm still interested in knowing where you ordered your mini for such a good price.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

$875. Pretty easy, buy from someplace that you won't get charged tax (Amazon perhaps for $799). Purchase RAM from several different providers (Newegg, etc). The price of the Mini is pretty much the same everyplace +/- a few bucks.
 
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