Business store

[CFP]

Owing to my recent hard drive disaster (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=33969) :wtf: , very soon I'm going to be buying a new MacBook. Or maybe a MacBook Pro, but that's a whole other can of worms :D

My question is, without wanting to be at all asinine, what exactly is the point of the Business Store online? I'm trying to find the best deal, and from what I can see, my choices are buying my new mac airside when I fly back to the UK next month (and save the 17.5% tax) or get it from the business store (I'm technically one of the directors of the family company although I have little practical, day-to-day dealings with it).

I'm just confused as to what the benefits are of buying through the business site. The prices are the same as the regular site, and I can't see any mention of the free, extended warranty you get when buying through the education store. Is it simply that I buy through the business site and claim back the tax when I do my return at the end of the year? Because if that's it, it all seems a tad redundant. I could just buy the normal way and claim back anyway I guess.

There's probably a glaringly obvious reason for the business portal's existence that I'm not seeing. I´ll sit back and wait for someone to embarrass me :cool:

Thanks.

[PB PM]

You can also lease through the business store, I think that is the only perk.

[CFP]

Oh :err:

Don't know why, but was expecting more.

Oh well, the tax-free option isn't too shabby :)

[curiousuburb]

Don't forget the Apple refurb store. Still 1yr warranty, but cheaper than new or the 10% off some businesses get, or the ~15% discount for Education.

[psmith2.0]

Definitely consider refurb. The prices can be amazing (often more than you'd save with education or business discounts/perks), and you can still purchase the additional two-year AppleCare to add three full years.

Currently no MacBooks (as of 1/29 11:27am ET), but that could change at anytime. There were current-generation white MacBooks (2.26GHz, 2GB RAM, built-in battery, etc.) on there earlier this week for $849. That's $150 off new.

And you can often find previous-generation 2.13GHz models on there going for $749 (that's the model my Mom got back in the summer, except she paid $849, and it's great).

You mention MacBook Pro, and they almost always have refurb 13" MacBook Pros (including current generation) for $999 ($200 off new).

So you could get a refurb 13" Pro model (with FireWire, backlit keyboard, etc.) for the same price as a new MacBook, going refurb.

It pays to check that area out every few days...stock and availability fluctuate daily, so if you don't see something you like, check back later.


My Weekly Plug for the Refurb Store (I wish they'd just put me on commission) :D

[CFP]

I've bought from the education store twice before, and got great deals both times. Unfortunately I'm a bit old to buy from there now :\ :)

I've decided to go for the MacBook Pro this time around, woohoo!

Does anyone know if they use Seagate hard drives in those? Please tell me no...

[psmith2.0]

I'm not sure if there's any way of knowing that, short of buying it, opening it up and checking the System Profiler.

:confused:

They don't go into that level of detail on their site, or on the packaging.

I don't know if one brand is always used throughout product lines (Seagate for this, Hitachi for that, Toshiba for those, etc.), or if different production runs get different models and they just buy as needed, etc. I'm not sure how that works. I don't even know anyone with a current-generation MacBook Pro (of any size), so I'm not in a position to ask around.

I suppose you could go straight to the source and call Apple sales? They may or may not have that kind of info at hand.

[PB PM]

I've bought from the education store twice before, and got great deals both times. Unfortunately I'm a bit old to buy from there now :\ :)

I've decided to go for the MacBook Pro this time around, woohoo!

Does anyone know if they use Seagate hard drives in those? Please tell me no...
There is no way to know until you get it. Every Apple notebook I've bought (iBook G4, 2nd Gen MacBook Pro, and current 13" MBP) all had Hitachi hard drives, but that does not mean anything.

[Dorian Gray]

I've had Apple notebooks with Hitachi, Fujitsu and Toshiba hard drives, though never a Seagate. My 13-inch MacBook Pro has a 160 GB Hitachi. It's the slowest hard drive I've used in a long time, but it's also the quietest. And being a Hitachi, it's probably pretty reliable. I'm planning to replace it with a single-platter 250 GB Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 (http://www.hitachigst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/techdocs/3FDCAB792901CF4B862575D8005AB39B/$file/TS7K500_DS.pdf) (PDF) if they ever become available in France or the UK. At least on paper that is the coolest piece of hard disk technology I've seen in a while.

Anyway, CFP, you should be asking how Time Machine works, not whether Macs come with Seagate drives. ;)

[CFP]

Definitely consider refurb. The prices can be amazing (often more than you'd save with education or business discounts/perks), and you can still purchase the additional two-year AppleCare to add three full years.

I definitely wouldn't mind buying from the refurb store. The UK version is (usually) a bit less exciting than the US one from what I've seen, but I'm gonna keep an eye on it until I can buy in about 2/3 weeks.

There is no way to know until you get it. Every Apple notebook I've bought (iBook G4, 2nd Gen MacBook Pro, and current 13" MBP) all had Hitachi hard drives, but that does not mean anything.

It probably isn't all that important. I never really thought about the manufacturer of the hard drives in my macs until recent events. But since looking around on the net for solutions, I've seen a disproportionate number of horror stories to do with Seagate drives. Mine was Seagate too. Also, where I used to work, we used Seagate hardware/software for reporting from the phone lines, and that system crashed soooo often that it almost became part of my morning routine.. arrive at work, restart the Seagate server, get a coffee and wait to miss the reporting deadline again... :grumble:

Anyway, CFP, you should be asking how Time Machine works, not whether Macs come with Seagate drives. ;)

:lol:

Yep, point taken...

I've never used Time Machine, my MacBook (RIP) was running an old version of OS X, can't remember which. But since Alcimedes mentioned Mozy.com and I had a look, I plan to repent my previous mistake by signing up ASAP.

[PB PM]

I take drive failures with a grain of salt, since all brands can and will fail at some point. The only drive I ever had fail was a brand new Hitachi, and I'm still using the replacement drive now, over a year later.