# Where To Buy Apple Tech From.



## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

my son turns 18 in august and he starts a design course in september ,so he has floated the idea of maybe getting an apple desktop or laptop.

apple tech is all new to me so is there any special places to get a system cheap or should i just get it from the main high st shops .i do get discount in john lewis so probably be getting from there.

any recomendations on what to get as well very much appreciated.


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## Clum (Feb 14, 2009)

Is this a university course? If so maybe wait until he starts and finds out what software he will be using etc. Any particular reason for it needing to be an Apple?


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

Clum said:


> Is this a university course? If so maybe wait until he starts and finds out what software he will be using etc. Any particular reason for it needing to be an Apple?


I was going to ask what sort of course, will help with software.

Its bound to be apple that he'll be using, was when i started when i left school.


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## Clum (Feb 14, 2009)

minkle said:


> Its bound to be apple that he'll be using, was when i started when i left school.


Indeed, don't know why I bothered asking that question lol.

As for where to buy it, as a university student he will be able to get about 14% discount from the Apple Store I think (may have changed), so not sure how this compares to the discount you can get at John Lewis.


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## jimbotime (May 20, 2009)

If he's doing graphic design then its apple mac all the way! New Imacs, laptops or even mac minis are going to have all the processing power he'll need. I would look at the imac first as I prefer to use desktops.

Apples website seems to be as competitive as others Apples website also has easy to complete Student discount looks like about Â£200 off. Also check the refurbished or clearance section at the bottom left of the page.

cancom has reduced 13 inch mac pros

I would have no problem buying second hand as my macs have had at least six years use before replacing and only once had a hardware problem. however you can extend the warranty to three years just to make sure your sons covered for his education.


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## msq (Feb 18, 2010)

I'm a huge Apple buff and have been for a long time, but in this day and age, he may be better off with a PC if he is getting into design. In the days of yesteryear, Apple was the industry standard, but sadly it really isn't the case anymore.

So unless there is a compelling reason, a PC would be better. But then again, I'm not in design. I have just heard from other people.


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## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

its a college course and its centred around i.t and design he has visited the college and all the equipment there was apple.he needs a new computer and seems the obvious selection to go for an apple.

im edging towards a desktop because i dont want it going out of the house realy .and they are just so damn pretty to boot.

i think the discount in john lewis is around 20% so proably my best bet then.


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## msq (Feb 18, 2010)

Look for promos. Student discounts sometimes comes with offers of free printers, free ipods or other stuff. I got my ipod and printer that way back in the day.


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## 613 (Apr 15, 2010)

msq said:


> Look for promos. Student discounts sometimes comes with offers of free printers, free ipods or other stuff. I got my ipod and printer that way back in the day.


Agreed. The Apple Student discounts around July, Aug, Sept are usually pretty good. Also, wait as long as you can before purchase, or check out the Mac Buyers guide site. Summer is usually the time for an iMac speed-bump and possibly a Mac Mini speed bump too. The later you leave it, the more you'll get for your money, either in terms of new stock or discounted stock!

The design students I've seen at uni use both Macs and PCs. Today's software is often multi-platform. However, many have a Mac at home because they're 'cool' and seen as the right thing to own for design. Personally I wouldn't know, I'm a history student that got a mac in 06 because it was the best laptop under Â£700 I could get, regardless of anything else. Typing on it now in fact!

Hope that helps a little bit!

David


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

Hi there,

I would try to find out more about the software as Apples demand quite a premium because of the current popularity of the company. I have a Mac that I bought in New York when the $/Â£ was 2/1 so it was great value and I absolutely love it but I recently needed a second laptop (one for work, one fore home) and got far better value for money in terms of performance from a Windows based system.

I'm sure that there are those out there that will have stronger opinions on both, but for me, the PC provides more value for money and a better performance but the Mac looks much better and seems a lot quicker despite the less power which I believe is more to do with the operating system.

John Lewis are great for most things so you prob won't go far wrong with them - I usually buy electrical and larger appliances from them as they price match and offer massive warranties for free on certain items (5 years on TVs!). Apple are a fantastic company as far as support and after sales service and would prob match John Lewis if asked. Might be worth a visit to John Lewis to get some impartial advice and then if Apple's the choice, a trip to the Apple Store for their after sales service...

If cost is an issue, I would assume Apple to be around double the price.


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

To add to my last post, and after reading "613"s post, I think that the price of Macs vs PCs has gone in opposite directions over the past few years.

Before the iPod, Apple were on the brink of bankruptcy and thus their products were quite inexpensive. Their systems were unreliable and there was a limited choice of software compared to Windows based systems. However, the iPod revolutionised the company and Apple are now a lifestyle accessory brand that can really do no wrong. The upcoming iPad will more than likely be sold out weeks before it is released in the UK (end of the month) and their operating systems are excellent, meaning that you do not really get much for under Â£1000, desktop or laptop.

The PC has come down in price during this time though as technology has got cheaper and this is reflected in the greater competition for Windows based systems - HP, Dell, Packard Bell, Acer etc etc are all competing for a share of the PC market and as a market this has got smaller because of Apple's resurgence. This now means that your average laptop or desktop running windows will be sub Â£500, not including the mass student discounts available in the summer.

As an example, a fairly good spec PC based netbook (slower than a laptop with no DVD drive) will cost around Â£250 but the iPad that essentially does the same thing is starting at Â£429 and that is for a very low spec one.

This helps to explain the high price of Apple compared to PCs and might help you decide in considering what your son will see as important, a higher spec PC that is practical or an Apple that looks really good...


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## mattbeef (Jul 17, 2008)

I dont think that you can compared a netbook to an iPad they are totally different!

While i have my own opinions i will say this. Apple will always use the highest spec processors available at the time and this pushes the price up. Software doesnt really come at a premium anymore like it used to and there are far less issues with software across Windows to OSX.

The thing that honestly wins people over is the support so if you have a store near to you then you have it all at your feet and there is a service to learn how to use it all.

Weather or not your a windows or a mac user you will still be able to do what ever you need to it just depends which way you want to go about it


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

Doing graphic design you need access to CS5 & a digitizer. Doesn't matter if a mac or Windows now. Personally I would go with Windows 7 as you get the more value for money.

As both Apple & Windows use Intel CPU's, if you compare the specs for the same price you see how much you are paying for a locked down platform which you can't upgrade yourself.


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

jeffvader said:


> As both Apple & Windows use Intel CPU's, if you compare the specs for the same price you see how much you are paying for a locked down platform which you can't upgrade yourself.


Spot on. It used to be the case, (many years ago), that design and graphics had to be done on Mac's, because the software was only available for the Mac. When the software was published for windows platforms this removed the need to be tied to Mac's. However, designers and the bearded community stuck with it. Why, you may ask yourself would they stick with overpriced, underpowered computers? It could be that they're just too pig headed to admit to how much they've been ripped off over the years, or they're IT illiterate and don't know how to use a Windows PC, or, mostly likely, they think it's trendy and cool, like their beards, and woolly jumpers, knitted from their dog's cast off hair.

This situation of course became much worse with the imac, though how Apple ever thought naming a computer after a Woman's personal hygiene product was a good idea I'll never know. Then came the iphone, and now the ipad,(!!) and with all that marketing from Apple, well all the cool trendy people just have to have whatever is the latest gadget from Apple. No matter that it's a matter of form over function and a mass marketing exercise. Rather like watches in a way, and I'm thinking of one brand in particular with its product placement. Do you know who I mean? It's Swiss, one word and begins with "O". That's right, Omega.

I don't know why schools and colleges persist with Mac's. Either Apple have very, very good salespeople, or whoever buys equipment for the the school/college just goes with whatever they've heard of and see all the TV adverts for.

When I went to college, the mainframe was a crappy old IBM 6150 IIRC, absolute rubbish. If you had more than 30 people compiling programs you could go for several cups of tea before it spat out your results. On a chain driven dot matrix printer with an acoustic hood!!! One of the rooms had PC's that had to be booted up from a 5 1/4 inch disc, (they really were floppy if you haven't seen them), and we only had one for the whole classroom. PC's have come a whole long way from then, none of this tuning them up with config.sys, command.com etc and they're just as easy to use as Mac's, but you can still get under the hood when you have to.

My opinion, and that's all it is, is PC all the way.

But don't take my word for it, look up MacBiter who used to have a column in Computer Shopper. He was meant to write about computers, specifically Mac's, though rarely did, and even he wasn't that taken with Apple and their products, and he was meant to be the resident Mac expert.


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

mattbeef said:


> I dont think that you can compared a netbook to an iPad they are totally different!
> 
> While i have my own opinions i will say this. Apple will always use the highest spec processors available at the time and this pushes the price up. Software doesnt really come at a premium anymore like it used to and there are far less issues with software across Windows to OSX.
> 
> ...


In what ways are an iPad and netbook that different? I assumed that an iPad's main purpose is to be able to surf the internet on the go - it has a small hard drive for music, photos and videos and is compatible with the many (largely pointless) "apps" but other than that does no more than a netbook now that netbooks are tiny. I know that the iPad has a touch screen which makes no difference to performance and is both novelty and a luxury but at Â£699 for their top spec 3G model with only 64g hard drive, a netbook would prove far more useful.


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Ex graphic designer and photographer.

Buy a Mac desktop from Apple. For their direct warranty.

Check the online student discounts and ring them to confirm their best price.

When I worked for a University, we reckoned 1 techie to support 50 PCs.

A&D had 250 Macs, and their solitary techie used to come over to us in the afternoons, looking for something to do!


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

chris l said:


> Ex graphic designer and photographer.
> 
> Buy a Mac desktop from Apple. For their direct warranty.
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> ...


Massively agree with the simplicity of use and low maintenance of Macs. Maybe as it's for a student it might be worth paying up and going for Mac as he will inevitably be file sharing etc as is common at uni dorms and they would also eliminate any concerns of viruses or annual costs of anti-virus software.


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## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

the non virus thing is a very big draw for the macs isnt it. we will look into it closer to the time and it also depends how much funds he can raise but a mac is the favorite at the moment.

cheers for the input guys always appreciated.


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

I would say that PC's nowadays are as easy to use as Mac's and if you use Microsoft Security Essentials you have viruses covered as well, and it's free, with constant updates, done in the background. There are several good free anti-virus programs out there for the PC.

As for warranties, I can't remember the last time I had anything fail on a PC, they're not worth the paper they're printed on. By the time it does it's time to upgrade anyway. If something does go wrong it's so easy to replace on a PC you don't need somebody else to do it, and they're very easy to upgrade. As with any computer system, PC or Mac, the watchword is backup, and on a regular basis.

The one major failing of any Apple product however, is their failure to support Adobe's Flash content. So any webpages you visit which has this you won't be able to see.


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## MarkDavey (Jan 9, 2009)

Sancho Panza said:


> jeffvader said:
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> > As both Apple & Windows use Intel CPU's, if you compare the specs for the same price you see how much you are paying for a locked down platform which you can't upgrade yourself.
> ...


I take it you're not keen on Apple then? :grin: that's great, each to their own, but your analysis is IMHO pure Jackanory!


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

MarkDavey said:


> Sancho Panza said:
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You've obviously never used a PC then.

Edit: and Mac's STILL don't support Flash.


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

Sancho, you make some very valid points about Mac being fashionable and having very effective marketing but as a computer system they do have some massive advantages over PC's.

I know that there is far more software available for PC's and they provide far greater power for your money but Mac's also have their merits. I own both and as I am not a computer techy, find my Apple about a million times easier to use. The power issue is also somewhat misleading because my windows based PC has far greater power but takes an age to get going with all the anti-virus and updates etc - my Mac is up and going from a push of the start button in about 30 seconds.

It all really depends on what the user wants from their computer. If money is not a consideration, I would choose Apple for its ease of use, lack of problems and speed of start up but then I mainly use my computer for surfing the internet, emailing, music/videos and the odd "office" based document. It's all about the user so to dismiss either is of no use...


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## Clum (Feb 14, 2009)

Sancho Panza said:


> You've obviously never used a PC then.
> 
> *Edit: and Mac's STILL don't support Flash.*


LOL, you've obviously never used a Mac then...

edit: Also I've never heard anyone try to pronounce iMac incorrectly...


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

Clum said:


> Sancho Panza said:
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Am glad you pointed that out as I wasn't sure enough to - I've just downloaded safari onto my PC as the browser and was certain that I added the Adobe Flash plug-in?!?


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

sharrison01 said:


> Clum said:
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What I should have said was, it doesn't run on the iphone, ipod or ipad.


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

Clum said:


> Sancho Panza said:
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Yes I have used Mac's, I used to sell computers, and Mac's were terrible sellers compared to PC's.

As for pronouncing iMac, you've probably never heard anyone pronounce it wrongly because compared to PC's there's a very low user base of them, and there's not that much to get excited about. It's PC's that push the technology forward.


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## sharrison01 (May 4, 2010)

Sancho Panza said:


> Clum said:
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I'm assuming that when you mention that you used to sell computers that this was before they started using dual core processors and before their mass marketing machine? If so, I would not begrudge such a negative opinion of Apple as their computers were truly awful and very over-priced, hence their flirtation with bankruptcy before Steve Jobs came along.

Recent Macs though have far more substance and the fact that they are fashionable can actually have a negative impact for some people as they won't give them a chance for fear of being thought of as a sheep.

I've been an Apple fan since I got my first iPod about 6-7 years ago (before the marketing) and love my MacBook but can't stand the iPhone and will prob not touch the iPad. Just because everyone goes mad for every Apple product released, it doesn't mean they will all be suitable for everyone.

Also, Apple's big resurgence came at a time when Windows was trying to sell the particularly awful Vista...


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

sharrison01 said:


> Sancho Panza said:
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Yes it was before the latest offerings.

I don't know if you know this, but Steve Jobs was one of the original co-founders of Apple in the late 70's and left, in 1985 I think, and formed NeXT, (not the clothing company). When Apple bought out NeXT, in 1996 I believe, he re-joined Apple and has been its CEO since 1997.


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

I had a iMac that I gave to my 4 year old nephew to play on the Cbeebies website, since they updated the version of flash they use it won't run it. So it's scrap, because the new OS which would run the latest version of flash isn't compatible with the older CPU based iMacs. So he's using an clunker of a XP system, which I can update the version of flash without any problems.

Flash only isn't support on the iPhone, because it would open up the platform too much and allow people not to have to use the apps store.

Also Mac's can get viruses & there more are being created for the Mac/Unix platform.


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## mattbeef (Jul 17, 2008)

sharrison01 said:


> mattbeef said:
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> > I dont think that you can compared a netbook to an iPad they are totally different!
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The iPad is meant as an addition to an existing computer. Yes its meant to surf and do email etc with the additional apps you can do so much more than on a netbook, its all about interacting with your content, the fact its touch screen changes the performance for alot of things so yes while it can be considered a luxury its not a novelty, its the way that all things are moving to.

Look at how many now have a touch screen phone as a basic. Yes Apple is big in the market at the moment but its not like others weren't there before and are following into it again.

As for the whole flash thing. On the iPhone/iPad front Steve Jobs made his feelings very clear and to a point he is right. Alot of what Flash does/did was for when the mouse was the only way to navigate on machines but now there is an alternative and as a company Apple are keen to embrace change. Just look at the Floppy Drive, Apple got rid of this in their PowerMac G3's in about 1998 while PC's still came with then up until a few years ago.


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## MarkDavey (Jan 9, 2009)

Sancho Panza said:


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Sorry but you just haven't got a clue have you? :dummyspit:


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## Sancho Panza (Apr 7, 2010)

MarkDavey said:


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I do, and I make valid arguments for it, I don't make personal comments, unlike yourself. But if you want to act like a nincompoop, that's up to you.


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## malus65 (Dec 23, 2009)

I'm a Mac user for more than twelve years years now and I can only say that I have never seen so much people before who are thinking or already switched to Mac. So far I only see happy faces when I look at the people who switched.

Just do it.


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