Are there advantages/disadvantages with buying a Macbook Air at Best Buy rather than the Apple Store?
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MBA at Best Buy
- Thread starter gkamieneski
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There's no restocking fee at Best Buy. They also currently have 18 months no interest financing on all their Macs.
The baseline MacBook Air is also only $949.99 until Saturday at Best Buy.
The baseline MacBook Air is also only $949.99 until Saturday at Best Buy.
Not sure if you're interested in either of these, but Apple offers discounts to students, people who work for some large businesses/gov't/military. They also have the perpetual printer rebate, which can get you a new printer for free.
You also get a few more buying choices at Apple Stores. They should have the "Ultimate" editions (fastest processor, 4GB RAM, largest hard drive) in stock, whereas Best Buy doesn't carry them (or didn't use to).
You'll only be able to buy the baseline models (and perhaps some minor upgrades) at Best Buy. Most importantly, they do NOT carry 4GB models..which to me was a huge turn off (which is a shame as I love the financing options and the reward zone points).
Thanks to all. I would probably be going for the 11in model on sale for $949. Wish it had the SD slot, Thunderbolt and HD, but that's another story.
More of interest to me is the difference in return or support policies or because it is a gift, if there are some extras thrown in at the Apple Store either online or brick and mortar.
More of interest to me is the difference in return or support policies or because it is a gift, if there are some extras thrown in at the Apple Store either online or brick and mortar.
Also...do I need to purchase anything more with the 11in MBA? Do I need the Apple Care plan if I am a PC tech? thx
Am I correct in assuming there's a free version of Acrobat Reader for this platform? Also, are there Open Office choices? Finally, my Son gets a free download of Office from his school. Is the family also elligible for this? He will certainly be using this MBA sometimes.
There is a PDF reading program called Preview that comes with all Macs. OpenOffice is now called LibreOffice because of an ownership change but it's still free and has the same features. It works great for basic needs. If he gets a free download of Microsoft Office though, go for that. It's 100% compatible instead of 99% compatible (might be important when putting together projects for class).
Although I bought mine in an Apple Online Store, as far as I know, it's better to buy in an Apple store than in Best Buy in terms of returns/refunds. Some people in this forum mentioned that when they came to an Apple Store to return a product bought in Best Buy, they were refused and asked to go to BestBuy to get it settled. Not sure about the details though, but If I were to choose, I would go for the Apple store. Post-purchase service is far more valuable than a $50 discount.
Certainly your BB may vary, but I have returned a ton of stuff to BB...no questions asked. I think the only reason top go to an apple store is if you really need some configuring like they can do and the bigger models of the 11.
But there is no need to pull the aftersales fear card here, BB is a good operation...
It sounds like his son is in school, so he should be able to get a student discount from Apple anyway. I would go through Apple for the free printer plus convenience of doing everything through the Apple store.
Amazon has the base MBA for $938.29, and no sales tax charged at the time of purchase (depending on your state).
Can you speak to this convenience of doing everything through the Apple store? I am interesting in knowing what that entails.
Also, if anyone has a student whose educational institution offers free downloads of MS Office home/student, I am wondering if that license includes a Mac at home.
thx
Wanted to ask again. Do I need the 3-year Apple Care program? I support PCs and networks but haven't been under the hood of a Mac.
It's a good idea because there really nothing you can fix on MBA except replacing the SSD. In addition getting parts for a Mac isn't that easy. While some are available you aren't going to find an Apple parts house in every town. Another option is buying with an American Express (or other CC) that offers an additional 1 year of warranty. This offers 2 years of total warranty coverage and isn't an extra cost. IMHO get some type of extended service plan except do not repeat do not buy BBY's.
BTW I'm plus 1 for buying from Apple. Better option choices, better overall service and a more flexible return policy. I have to admit I'm prejudiced against BBY, I wouldn't buy a garbage disposal there.