Best Deal on a Mac?

[Kevin Dooley]

Hey guys, I've been a tried and true Vegas editor on the PC for a while now, but I'm looking at getting my first Mac... the question is, since Macs are made only by Apple, is that the only place to get one, or are there other retailers that might offer a better price? It's probably a pretty obvious question/answer, but I'm just not sure where to look...

Also, what's the expected date of Intel Macs? Should I wait?

[Mike Phan]

Lucky for you I use to work for Apple. The intel won't roll out until mid to late 2006. If you're an editor, don't settle for anything less than a PowerMac G5. Its a little pricey but you have to look at it this way, its one investment that's going to yield a profitable return. I mean you don't have to worry about viruses to bog you down, its architecture is very stable and its floating-point design is the best out there. The pros out there mainly use Apples, it is the Mercedes Benz of computers. Stop by a retail store and play with one, I'm having a blast with my G5.

[John C. Chu]

Originally Posted by Kevin Dooley

Hey guys, I've been a tried and true Vegas editor on the PC for a while now, but I'm looking at getting my first Mac... the question is, since Macs are made only by Apple, is that the only place to get one, or are there other retailers that might offer a better price?

From what I have seen, there isn't much discounting on Macs. The best bit of advice is to buy memory from anyone but Apple--they charge a premium for the memory upgrade[which you can easily do yourself.]

Check out Apple's special deals section...you can get factory refurbished systems pretty cheap but on the other hand you will also be paying sales tax, so factor that in your decision when buying new vs. refurbished.

And if you are a student[even taking a continuing education night class]--take advantage of student discounts.

Good luck!

[Dan Shallenberger]

The student discount is a great idea, but not everyone is a student. I have a friend that uses his daughters student id to buy some of his equipment.

I just bought my new dual-core 2ghz G5 from Amazon.com. They sell it for the standard price of $1999.95, but until Nov 23rd (I think) there's a $200 rebate!. Plus, I got next-day shipping for only $32, and no sales tax, making my total purchase $2032.90. And that doesn't include the $200 rebate.

There are other retailers that sell Macs though, like MacWarehouse & Mac Mall, (online-only retailers), and usually have free shipping and memory upgrade deals going on, except that there's always some hidden costs like a $35 installation fee and such. But, with the deal at Amazon.com, I wouldn't look anywhere else.

Good luck!

Dan

[Nick Jushchyshyn]

If you're primarily working in DV, another option to consider is getting a used Mac. I've been a "PC Guy" for over a decade (after being all Mac in college .... sigh ... I miss my Mac II)

I'm holding out on buying a new Mac until the Intels are out, but needed to get one to learn Shake and interface more easily with Mac-based colleagues.
Ended up getting a Dual G4 1.25 for a little over $1000.

Cuts through DV very easily and it's even tollerable working on CineAlta HD plates in Shake.

Looking forward to upgrading when those Intels are released, though. :D

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Dan Shallenberger

and no sales tax

This isn't really true in most states. The fact that company is not authorized to COLLECT sales tax for your state doesn't mean you don't OWE sales tax. That's the case in my state (New Jersey) and also in your state (Ohio):

http://www.tax.ohio.gov/RoboHTML/Fre..._Questions.htm

10. Is sales or use tax due on purchases over the Internet?

If the seller is located in Ohio or the out-of-state seller has substantial nexus with Ohio, sales or use tax is due on all sales of tangible personal property and selected services to purchasers in Ohio, unless the purchaser has a statutory basis for claiming exception or exemption. NOTE: Many out-of-state sellers are registered with Ohio to collect and remit Ohio use tax on taxable sales made to Ohio consumers.

If the seller is not located in Ohio and does not have substantial nexus with Ohio, the seller cannot be required to collect and remit Ohio use tax. However, the purchaser will still owe Ohio use tax on the purchase of goods or services, unless the purchaser has a statutory basis for claiming exception or exemption.

Will they catch you? Who knows, states are looking for every possible way to raise money and it isn't inconceivable that they could get the info from Amazon or whoever.

If you're buying stuff over the internet and claiming a deduction for it as a business expense then you might want to be careful about dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. Look at your state's dept of taxation website for more information.