Where will you purchase the new Mac Pro?

[Charles Papert]

I'm not 100% positive of how they qualify one for the Apple business program. I myself only have a DBA. I have certificates on file at vendors all over town for the post production tax credit. You don't have to show business credentials to use it, but the assumption is that you are using the equipment in a professional environment. These days that definition is pretty broad! So yes--any individual can qualify for the tax credit, but theoretically if you were audited by the state, you'd have to prove that you were using the equipment purchased for work purposes.

[Charles Papert]

And to keep things on track--I did just place an order for the new Pro, via the Apple store. In the past I have gone through a reseller.

[Craig Chartier]

As the term professional has become harder to define, the states are now shifting the burden of proof from the end user to the reseller when it comes to the tax liability. Texas has in recent audits of resellers rejected the form - even when properly filled out and signed by the buyer - requiring the reseller to cover the tax. This makes if very hard for many resellers to justify the risk when the profit margins are thin.

[Paul R Johnson]

I will always buy from the Apple store because when my two year old MBP died, and I had not taken out apple care, they fixed it because my iPhone, my iPad and iPod had all been bought direct, not through a reseller. The repair would have been around £200, but I got it sorted free - cannot complain, so all my purchases will be from them.

[Allan Barnwell]

A related question: How does a 1-2 month wait for a product change affect your place of purchase (given no inventory at any location)?

I was surprised to see such a long wait time for the new Mac Pro.

If it is anything like other constrained products, there will be a premium Ebay price for units until March!

Allan Barnwell
Omega Broadcast Group - Professional Video Sales, Rental & Services