| by Mr Credit Card |
It’s Sunday and so rather than talking about credit cards, here’s an update on our latest gadget purchase for www.askmrcreditcard.com.
We just got ourselves an Apply Macbook Pro today. My laptop blew out a couple of months ago and I really did not bother to change them. But since I’m taking a short vacation later this week (more on that later), I had to get a laptop to make sure I’m on top of the website and other stuff.
I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with the usual Windows stuff and their programs for a while. My computer frequently hangs or my Firefox is not working! Recently, my Word Document refuses to shut down at first go and it says that there is problem and “cannot shut down”! Just two days ago, I “accidentally” installed Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and after installation, my audio was silent. I could not listen to my itunes or even Youtube!
Did the usual searches on the internet. Went to my control panel and went to the sound devices and fiddled with it. I downloaded the latest realtech drivers and all that. No help. It turns out that lots of folks face the same problem. So as a baby step, I’ve decided to get the Apply Macbook Pro first and check it out (rather than another HP laptop – my previous one). I’ve numerous friends who have converted from Windows to Apple and are singing praises about it.
The programs I would need on the Mac are Office (which Windows make for Mac), my Abode Suite stuff like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Premier etc (they have a Mac version). I also use Camtasia Studio for some of my video reviews and they have a Mac Version as well so that is great! As for this wordpress blog, well, any platform would do. The only snag I can see potentially down the road is Quicken. I was told that Quicken files on Windows are not compatible on Mac! (Great job Intuit!).
I booked an appointment with the “personal shopper” on Thursday and spent two hours there. I found out that I could get a student discount if I brought along a student with a student ID. I also found out that if I purchased stuff above $5,000, I would qualify for a business discount. I think that would be of use when I switch my main computer over to a Mac Pro plus maybe a couple of iMacs. So I got a friends girlfriend who was a student and with her ID, I managed to get a couple of hundred dollars discount of my purchase (once someone has used their student ID, they cannot get any more discounts from Apple for one year). I’ve mentioned before that you could also use your Discover Card and get a 5% rebate when you shop online at the Apple store (I wrote a similar post in my Apple Credit Card review) but I was not too sure how it will work with the student discount thing with online shopping (this is due for some investigation). Unfortunately, I did not want to wait for it (since I’m leaving this Thursday) so off to the Apple store I went.
After the purchase, I was given the package and boy did I fall in love with it (it’s amazing what a nice packaging can do). But I was even more blown away when I opened it at home. (check out the pics below). I really look forward to exploring it and using new programs like the Garage Band to edit my blogtalkradio shows (I’ve been using Audacity and they occasionally gave me problems on Windows too). I probably would have saved more on a Windows laptop like a HP but I just do not want to deal with all the “pre-installed” software and all that nonsense again! Will keep you folks posted on my mini transition as I get to know more about Apple. My main desktop is still Windows based I’ll let you guys know the day I fully transition.
Oh and by the way, this was the model I bought.
15 inch model : 2.66 GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
320 GB harddrive
SD card slot
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB
And for those of you curious about the student discount, here is the breakdown:
Base Price : $1,999
Student Discount: ($150)
Apple Care Plan: $349
Student Discount on Apple Care Plan: ($110)
Apple One-to-One Membership: $99
Total cost was $2312.28 after a 6% sales tax. By the way, I charged this to my business credit card, which is the Plum Card and I will be getting an extra 1.5% cash rebate on this!
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February 7th, 2010 at 23:48
Nice laptop!Great choice. I’m seriously considering a mac myself.
February 8th, 2010 at 00:55
I know people hate Apple fanboys in general but personally I definitely like my Macbook Pro.
Funny timing since my sister just bought the exact model you have through her college (which is having a sale in addition to her student discount) for $1649 (before taxes). I told her that was a great price and she should get it before they run out.
As for your question about Discover, I can vouch that it works. Another relative of mine clicked the link through Discover and logged into his school’s web page on Apple and received both the student discount and the 5% rebate.
My last tip for you is that in the cases where the Mac isn’t working for you (incompatibility, etc.), which does happen from time to time, you can use the Boot Camp program on your Mac to install and boot up Windows natively. That way you’ll have the best of both worlds. You can use your Mac side primarily and switch over to Windows if you need. If you find yourself switching over often, you can buy either the Parallels program or VMWare Fusion program to boot up Windows right on your Mac screen.
Anyhow, if you ever have any questions as a new Mac owner, feel free to shoot me an email and maybe I can help. Enjoy your new gadget!
February 8th, 2010 at 01:23
thanks for the tips! But at the end of the day, I’ll probably switch for good! I probably left some money on the table! 3.5% – since I’m getting back 1.5% with the plum! (ie compared to “using the discover”)