Student Discounts on Apple Products?

My daughter will be attending school this fall and she (predictably) wants a mac to accompany her on the journey. Now, I don't have any bias against apple, and I can deal with paying premium if she only needs one laptop for the duration of her collegiate career. Still, I can't get over the fact that her University (which has an apple store on campus) offers a whopping 5-9% discount to students. Coming from my the experience of my son, who got a Lenovo laptop from his school at half-price, this just seems like highway robbery.

Is this in-fact what passes for a discount at an apple store, or am I just not talking to the right people?

 

There is a reason why Apple has been Profitable as well as they've been over the past several years. They Charge a Premium, and people pay it. Student Discounts are a mere 100 dollars if that, but software requirements are fairly low when you purchase an apple machine plus from observation Apple Computers do survive the test of college and then some. I've found that most of my college friends are buying new machines after graduation where as most grads who owned apple devices still use their devices way after college, plus apple computer are way less prone to breakage of any form over the under a grand laptops of both Hardware and Software Realm.

Now before you go off and label as being an apple fan boy let me tell you now that I've only owned two (one on loaner) 15 inch macbook pros and the rest have been window machines. But I've had great experiences with my macbook, and if you use the device everyday like I do I see no problem with forking over the cash... lol...

 

5-9% is better than 0%, and that is typical for Apple. However, you might be able to do better by ordering from Amazon, MacMall, or other authorized reseller. There's no difference in warranty coverage, and the Apple store will service it as if you bought it directly from there.

 

There's no need to defend Apple's pricing scheme. As I said, I understand they're a premium product due to a combination of good hardware and good local service. I just wondered (and Saturn has answered this) if other resellers would possibly do better than the rather shrug-inducing student rate (which essentially evaporates after tax). And indeed they do.

I appreciate the help from both of you. Cheers.

 

Student discount from Apple directly is 10%...

Make sure you check the prices very specifically.. sometimes the price of computers at the school are already lower, and and extra 5 to 9% may even be cheaper than directly from Apple and 10%. Don't worry about %'s as much, just worry about the total cost comparisons.

If your just looking for a cheap piece of junk... yes you can get things at half price.

 

Clearly I am not looking for a "cheap piece of junk."

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being ripped off. Yeesh. You mac folks are quite defensive.

 

Woah now, what's up with the junk comments...? C'mon now, a computer is simply a tool, nothing to get hyped up and defensive about.

Anyway, just adding to the list of possible sources of cheaper Apple hardware, you can consider looking at a refurbished version of whatever model you're looking at. Practically, there isn't a difference between "new" and "refurbished" (for the most part, "refurbished" is a new laptop that's been returned typically in under a month, but cannot be sold legally as "new"), and you can get the same hardware for a bit cheaper than what Apple/Amazon/MacMall will sell you as new.

Aside from that, you could also consider previous models (2012, 2011, etc.), which will come with a "substantial" discount (for Apple hardware, that is). If all your daughter will do is use the Internet and some office software, you don't need the latest stuff. With a basic usage scenario, a computer is nothing more than a glorified typewriter and even very basic CPUs/GPUs can handle that exceedingly well.

 

LOL, I could break your Retina MBP over my knee. Try that with a ThinkPad.

 

For the record I'm not being defensive but I need a heavy dose of excuses to justify my own spending of two grand to my girlfriend, myself, my brother, and my friends. I've always spent alot of cash on 3 things, my house, my car, and my PC though oh and I guess food

 

Actually the refurbished don't appear to be discounted much more than the student rate, although I'm sure there are exceptions with some hardware. I do like the idea of a previous model, although I do need to make sure there's an air-tight warranty option as well.

I know the feeling. My wife ribs me mercilessly when I drop large sums of money on "toys." At least I get to shoot back when she goes shoe shopping.

 

The refurbished warranty for a Mac is exactly the same as a new product. However, Apple's warranty (standard or extended AppleCare) does not cover accidental damage. You would need to purchase that from a 3rd party (eg SquareTrade) or see if you can take out a personal items policy on your homeowner's insurance.

 

My school bookstore apple discount is from 100-200 depend on model. Though I find that they sell dell/Lenovo at 1.7-2 times street price...

So yeah, bookstore's nature is to rip student (parents to be exact ) off. Even textbook are more expensive from University bookstore FYI.

 

I've had a MBP and a thinkpad, and I chose to stick with the thinkpad (using a X220 tablet as my ultraportable student laptop, the alienware is for fun, and the macbook I gave to my sister). Best hardware for its portable form factor and tough as nails. Never have thrown a thinkpad away, i have some sitting around since 1998 models. Can't say the same about macbooks. They dent/scratch super easily, and have a huge price premium to everything that goes with them. I suggest getting lenovo's directly from Lenovo themselves, bookstores will rip you off on them.

 

There was nothing defensive about my comment. You probably read way too much into it and assumed I was saying things I never said.

I don't know whats up... me pointing out that a lot of cheap and highly discounted computers are junk has gotten some people defensive for no reason at all, when I never even mentioned any computers by name... people act like I said non-Macs are junk or something, which was never said, nor implied.

some people are definitely defensive, even when there is no need to be.
If you have a habit of hitting your laptops hard over your knee, you might want to look at a ToughBook over a ThinkPad though.

 

No one will argue that point, however you were making it in the context of the OP talking about ThinkPad notebooks, to which no one in their right mind would ascribe that characteristic.

Now you're trying to backpedal like an NHL defenseman when you've been called to the carpet because of it. Quit while you're behind.

 

do you actually have a point relevant to the thread? if thats how you choose to read it, that is fine.. your choice, doesn't matter that you are completely wrong.

The main point comes down to.... there is often a huge reason that computers are heavily discounted... wether they say its for students or not. Apple has no need to do that, and they are more worried about profits and not giving things away simply because someone has trouble affording the product.

And I still stand by that most cheap and highly discounted products are normally junk and you get what you pay for. Sure you may run into an unbelievable deal here and there. This is all regardless of brand... Lenovo or otherwise. Too many parents buy the cheapest laptop they can for their kids going to college, and its often a disservice. Its all expensive with higher ed, so the lowest price is often the most tempting.

My overall point is, get whats right... don't just look at price.

 

Actually, all I did was quote you verbatim and suggest that it sounded defensive. The fact you're still belaboring the point doesn't exactly disprove that supposition.

 

Probably mad they paid for a good looking laptop with the performance of a junk laptop? I know I would be.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

So are you implying that about Apple's lineup now?

Everyone, lets keep things on track and not bicker back and forth about things that don't really matter. doh raises a good point in that many, if not the vast majority, of discounted notebooks are junk. They might come with decent hardware (Core i5, Intel HD4000, 750GB HDD, 8GB of RAM) but they are made of thick plastic that bends, there will be a lot of flex in the display, the trackpad will be awful, the keyboard will flex, its likely to be loaded with bloatware, etc. Most of the ones I have seen don't come with decent hardware though. They will slap a Celeron, Pentium, or last generation Core i3 in there and call it a day. Wrap that up and put it in a $300 package. That's not something that is going to last the average college student 4-6 years. It wouldn't even last me 2 years through grad school.

Now, when it comes to buying Apple products at discounted prices, there aren't many options. Apple offers a student discount, you can buy refurbished, or you might even be able to come across a deal at Best Buy or something along those lines. The store near me sold the mid-2011 MBAs at really low prices once they received the 2012 models. They had the 13" model with 256GB SSD for $1200 new. Microcenter also has really good deals. They are often on last generation models but I saw a standard 15" MBP at one (500GB HDD, 4GB of RAM, AMD graphics, quad-core i7, matte display), new, for $1300. It was a 2011 model but its internal hardware and build quality would more than be able to last someone through an undergraduate degree. The only real difference between it and the current one is the lack of USB 3.0. Other than that, a college student (unless they are doing 3D animation, but they wouldn't be buying a Mac for that anyway) isn't going to notice the performance difference between a 2011 MBP and 2012 model.

 

Thank you for the advice.

 

WOW I completely forgot, So I told my aunt last year before school started to buy an Apple for my cousin (Her son) not from Apple Student Book Store but from Refurbished. Apple's refurbished site sells some at a 30-35% off and if you're lucky you can get one at Microcenter for something similiar as well. Often the discounts are on models getting phased out but because apple has hardly adjusted the lineup in terms of astetics. A non computer Savy person "your daughter" wouldn't even know the difference, but your wallet sure will.

Apple Refurbished #1 spot to look, they come in a brown box though not the color boxes you usually see. But they have the same warranty hope that doesn't bother you.

 

I actually want to correct myself. Microcenter is selling the current 15" MBP for $1600 and last year's model (still new in box) for $1099. It's hard to beat that price. The store nearest me has one in stock and a used version for $899.

 

That's why I said if you're lucky, lol, in my previous post. Microcenter does a good job of trying to "Clear Stock" and alot of the high price items they often clear out like Alienwares, Macs, etc. etc.

 

Unfortunately, most people don't have a MicroCenter near them, and they only offer those deals for in-store purchase.

 

Yes, and sadly I am one of those people.

 

there is still macmall, currently they are selling the rmbp at great prices, given her usage I think the rmbp 13 is quite fine for her, last time I saw it was 1500 for a 256gb SSD and 1650 for 512gb or something like that, still below what apple offers in terms of student discount and probably what the store is offering you.

 

I get a discount on Apple hardware from my company (EPP store). The price with that discount is always extremely close to what amazon charges. Also, wife and I bought her a black MacBook from the apple refurb store some time back because of the 'it's the same only cheaper' talk. That thing had nothing but problems. We had to send it in 3 times for stability issues. I think they replaced the main board twice.. Third time I'm sure they replaced everything but the case. It's finally stable, though it doesn't get much use these days as it's the slower notebook in the house now.

 

Well, there's always that chance of getting a lemon, new or refurbished. Nothing's 100%.

 

There is a lot of truth here. A Thinkpad will live up to abuse that most Apple laptops could only dream of.

 

Except that a force strong enough to break a RMBP over one's knee is going to be powerful enough to break a Thinkpad too. Although business workstations will be able to survive more general abuse than a MBP, they can still break. The MBP line is also no slouch when it comes to consumer notebooks and are much better than most consumer grade notebooks out there.

There is also a big difference between everyday wear and tear, which any portable Mac will be able to survive without issues, and going through extreme forces such as purposely breaking a unit.

 

I will just say bunnies, and grumpy kittens

with the addendum of ferocious knees can get a shot of tequila if they buy and break one rmbp with the force of themselves

 

I suppose that perceived build quality also depends on how a user treats their machine. Just from personal experience, a friend I know in one of my classes has a Probook with a broken display assembly (it's practically about to fall off), whereas the MBPs I've seen are more or less in tact. Probably in part to the slightly-better-than-consumer-class-quality, but also partly because they baby their machines since they've paid a pretty penny for them as well. Have to consider if a user can "afford" to abuse their laptop, I suppose.

 

I care for my MacBook pro like a baby, but the first used on that I got was scratched on both sides of the trackpad as the buyer said that he used to wear a watch when typing? I could get one side but both? Anyway, the build quality has gone up though the aluminum is very easy to dent and scratch and dirt gets ingrained to it.. The trackpad is solid and you won't get the shiny areas on it if you happen to have oily fingers.

PS Some people's apple fandom is really annoying. I guess that they must be shareholders in Apple who are happy due to the rumored $100 B in dividends and buybacks that Apple is rumored to do very soon.

 

the buyback doesnt matter, apple stock has only gone down, so they arent even going to make even.

Still we all know that aluminum is a soft metal, and it will get scratched, dented, banged up...

Now concerning dirt, just clean it

the major problem on this thread is that everyone here has some different definition for build quality

 

Yes, but it is kind of annoying to get it off. Some people on this thread have an extreme view of Macs being perfect, while wintels are just some piece of crap acers. One fact: Windows 7 would be supported until 2020, but which version of OS X do you think we would be in by that time? I believe that support for 10.5 has ended and probably 10.6 would as well. I know people would say that what is the big deal spending $40 bucks to upgrade but that is still money out of your pocket.

Anyway, my brother recently got a thinkpad and the trackpad was too small for him. I guess that might not be a problem for your daughter, but some girls have big hands as well.

 

Let's not try and bring up a Mac vs. Wintel debate. We all know Windows 7 will be "supported" until 2020 but that doesn't mean it will still be sold on computers (they're all pretty much Windows 8 at this point), software developers are still going to support it, and that it will be a prevalent OS. Legacy support for MS operating systems mainly revolves around business/government support, NOT home consumer. MS has also announced that Windows XP support is going to end next year, 12 years after it was introduced. Whose to say they won't do the same thing if Windows 25 takes off and becomes the next best thing with all previous versions of Windows having very limited support. Lastly, when MS says "support," they mean releasing critical updates to patch holes and any serious threats that may come up. It doesn't mean a customer will be able to call Microsoft for help using the OS or anything like that. Lastly, there's also a huge difference between supporting a $200 OS for 11 years and supporting a $20 annual release for 5 years. Two different strategies for two different companies doing completely different things.

 

Well, the kiddo now has her shiny "new" (refurbished 2012 model) MBP and I must say it looks to be a good shape. If I could pry it out of her mitts, I would do a more complete review and inspection. >D

Kudoz all around.

 

I actually just upgraded to that model. I sold my MacBook Air, its SuperDrive, slip case, and carrying case for $1300. Microcenter has (or had) the 2012 15" baseline MacBook Pro for $1599 and Best Buy price matched it. I slapped 16GB of RAM and a 1TB hybrid hard drive in it. All-in-all, its a really good machine. Has pretty much the same specs as the retina model but upgrading costs are a lot less. I spent $200 total on the hybrid hard drive and 16GB of RAM. I'm not used to having a quad-core processor as everything zips along. I have 3 virtual machines open at once (Windows XP, Windows 7, and Ubuntu 12.x.x) along with Safari, iTunes, iPhoto, Word, and Excel in OS X without any slowdown.

I just hope Apple doesn't get rid of the standard MBP as its still a really good system. It doesn't have the flash of the retina model but its a solid performer and the design, although remaining relatively unchanged for 4 years now, is still classic and imitated by many (I'm looking at you Dell XPS 15).