Owen,
I was able to get a 10% discount off of the list from Apple over the
phone on the MBP 15" i5 5.63MH that I bought last week.
I got a rep on the line and he offered me the 10% discount. I took it
under advisement and called back later, only to get an order-taker - who
would not honor the 10% discount. Fortunately, I had the phone number of
the sales rep, was able to call him back directly - and he really did
give me the 10% discount!
However, Apple does charge state sales tax. But I still saved money over
Best Buy. I probably save money over Amazon too, because the 10% should
be worth more than the absence of sales tax. Unless you get a discount
from Amazon as well.
Grant
Grant Holland
VP, Product Development and Software Engineering
NuTech Solutions
404.427.4759
On 1/22/2011 11:33 AM, joseph spinden wrote:
I have an MBA -- not that I see the relevance. for me the big issue
is connectivity. If either had Firewire 800, I would definitely
consider it. Without it, neither is significantly better for me than
a netbook (which I have). Obviously, my needs are specialized..
Joe
On 1/22/11 11:08 AM, Owen Densmore wrote:
I'm drinking the koolaid again, and buying one of the new MacBook
Airs. So I called up BestBuy, found they had them, and dropped by
for over an hour.
BTW: If any of you have a MBA, please respond with your observations
too!
The store had both of them, side by side, with power and networking.
Both models (11.6"& 13.3") are surprisingly solid. They feel as
rigid and safe as the other MacBooks. This is due to the unibody
design. The difference in weight (2.3lb vs 2.9lb) is noticeable. I
was surprised that the 0.6lb/9.6oz difference would be that
noticeable, but it is. Still, the equivalent Macbooks felt like they
weighed a ton in comparison!
The 11 is surprisingly useful for so little a screen: 1366x768. But
the 13's 1440x900 makes it the same as the MBPro 15".
Laptops are for laps, so I was delighted that I could hitch myself up
onto the counter and try them both in my lap (and not bother the
clerks!). Both were fine, the 13 more "natural" due to being closer
in size to standard laptops.
I downloaded a large keynote presentation (both .pdf and .key), and
the NetLogo tutorial models (both 2D and 3D to make sure OpenGL got
run), and tried them on both, side-by-side. Yes there was a slight
difference in speed due to the different processor clocking and
battery management, but they both feel as fast as my current laptop
(4 year old 17" MBP).
Both are "real Macs" in that there are no limits on programming etc.
Exactly the same snow leopard I've been using. I forgot that they
were "special" within minutes of use.
One missing component is Flash, but I've turned that off where
possible due to huge battery drain. Apple wants you to download the
latest from Adobe due to apparently real security issues, but I'm
sure mainly due to corporate warfare.
The netlogo runs suggested the two systems (both entry level, thus
only 2GB RAM) differed by around 20% in speed. This is not
particularly noticeable.
I'm tending towards the 13 due to the display difference: 74x132.
The 132px height advantage is very noticeable.
Part of the test was BestBuy itself. The staff was more knowledgable
than I had thought and they are willing to discuss the Amazon price
difference (Amazon does not charge tax, a roughly $115.00 hit). They
have a method: on the web, get the MBA in checkout, including tax
etc. Print this and bring it in for the discussion.
If I buy locally, which I'd like to do, DotFoil and BestBuy are the
choices. Both have +/-'s. DotFoil has been quite knowledgable and
helpful to various family members recently. And because unibody Macs
have built-in batteries, the local-buy decision will include cost of
the for-sure battery replacement during its life. BestBuy apparently
has a warrantee which includes Apple Care but with more features and
costs less. DotFoil is Apple Care only, I believe.
-- Owen
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
