Increadible Mac Offer ! (is it??)

[varuog]

Hii friends !!

I had posted earlier about buying a new laptop for myself. I had almost made up my mind to buy the Dell Studio 15 when I stumbled across the Apple Store website. This is what the website reads :

If you’re a college student or a faculty or staff member at any grade level and you buy a new Mac through September 8, you can get a free iPod touch.* No wonder they call these the best years of your life.

Moreover, under the pricing option it reads:

MacBook Pro
From $1,099.00
Students save up to $200


Does that mean that the macbook pro is available for $1099-200 = $899 = Rs. 42540 !!!

If I am getting a Macbook Pro + Ipod Touch for Rs. 42540 + Taxes then I think it's a really good offer ....

Or is there something I am missing out ... Pls help me friends ...

The website link is : http://store.apple.com/us/browse/cam...20090507-00032 .

Sorry for such a long post !

[Pat]

I think the savings of up to $200 means the students save $200 on buying iPod Touch separately. So it means students get MBP + iPod Touch for $1099 plus 8% tax! But I could be wrong!

[MetalheadGautham]

Read the word "upto 200$ savings". Then look at the link for the same notebook in the home page. It shows a different starting price.

What this means is that the notebook is cheaper when you buy it through the student plan than when you buy it normally and the savings can go UPTO 200$ depending on the configuration you choose.

So yeah, cost really IS 1100$ = Rs. 55,000+TAX

[sandeepkochhar]

Pat has a point. Also, I think this offer is valid for US Students only as no where in the school list there is a mention of non US schools.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-780-500...ly/macbook_pro


Off Topic:- @ Pat I forgot to say thanks to you buddy for your help in getting my Compaq Presario V3220 AU repair free of cost. I did eventually managed to get it repaired free of cost from HP (though a very tedious process). See this for freshening your memory.

http://thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109408

[Pat]

^^Welcome buddy! I am glad it helped you

[k4ce]

u need to show a valid student identity card ...

[Tamoghno]

1. If i recall correctly , this offer is valid for us only . I am pretty sure its not even available in europe.

2.if i recall correctly apple gives this offer every year . I think its called something like 'back to campus' offer. They mostly give this offer before launching new generation ipods to clear extra inventory.

3. Most importantly , i dont think think apple product's indian price can be calculated by simply multiplying $ with 50. Last time i checked , $999 white macbook was priced at 62000 here.

I personally think studio 15 is better option than $999 macbook. There is nothing special in hardware , and studio15 is pretty good for hackintosh. The unibody macbook is different breed though.

[gdatuk]

mac prices are calculated here based on currency exchange rate and added import duty taxes.. check with the dealer before u get too excited about it...

[varuog]

Yea ... You guys are right !!! The Apple India Store does not show any such offer.
Anyways, I'll go with Dell Studio 15. They are giving some discount such as no tax etc ... My friend got it a few days back. I hope the offer is still valid. It's not listed on the website though.

I've decided to go with the following configuration:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 64 bit (English)
4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory
500GB SATA Hard Drive
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 edit
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell(TM) Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English)

Costs me Rs. 53453 /- (plus taxes if any) !!!

I hope that's value for money !!!

[drvarunmehta]

Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution

Do waste money on this. It's just software, not an actual X-Fi soundcard.

[varuog]

^^^ Does the software improve the audio to any extent ???

[drvarunmehta]

Barely. You can probably get better audio with a plugin like DFX for Winamp or something similar.

What's the warranty on that laptop?

[varuog]

It's 1 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis

[drvarunmehta]

Dell + 1 yr warranty = EPIC FAIL
I'm not saying don't buy it, because it's actually pretty good value for money but join this forum and ask what kind of warranty you should take and what are the common problems you can expect in your particular model.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4

[k4ce]

^ the creative software costs 500 bucks and its a waste ... real rip-off ... u just need to add INR900 to that price to get ur final price ...

if u do have the budget and dont mind it getting a bit heavier , go in for a 9 cell battery ... apart from that , decent config ...

[varuog]

Originally Posted by k4ce

^ u just need to add INR900 to that price to get ur final price ...

Sorry, I didn't get you.

And as for the 9-cell battery, it won't be of much use to me. As I am an engineering student & stay in hostel, I use the laptop mostly in my room. Since we have 24 hour power availability, I won't need much battery backup. In fact, I plan to use my lappy without the battery itself.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by varuog

Yea ... You guys are right !!! The Apple India Store does not show any such offer.
Anyways, I'll go with Dell Studio 15. They are giving some discount such as no tax etc ... My friend got it a few days back. I hope the offer is still valid. It's not listed on the website though.

I've decided to go with the following configuration:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 64 bit (English)
4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory
500GB SATA Hard Drive
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 edit
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell(TM) Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English)

Costs me Rs. 53453 /- (plus taxes if any) !!!

I hope that's value for money !!!

Nice config. You might want to replace P8600 wuth P8400 if it saves enough money though.

6-cell is not enough. Get 9-cell or 12-cell.

And you don't really need a backlit keyboard. Its a waste of money and serves no real purpose except looking good. The screen's light is enough to type even dark rooms. And if you are a touch typist like me, you don't even need to LOOK at the keyboard to type.

Originally Posted by drvarunmehta

Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution

Do waste money on this. It's just software, not an actual X-Fi soundcard.

+1

This is just a dumb audio driver software which is NOT a real sound card.

Originally Posted by drvarunmehta

Dell + 1 yr warranty = EPIC FAIL
I'm not saying don't buy it, because it's actually pretty good value for money but join this forum and ask what kind of warranty you should take and what are the common problems you can expect in your particular model.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4

More than 1 year warranty on a laptop is waste if you are careful about your laptop and can handle it properly.

Instead just get insurance cover for the laptop if its stolen, or gets damaged in a fire or something like that.

[varuog]

^^^ Thanks for your analysis ...

A few things though,
As I've mentioned, I'll be using the direct power and not the battery ... so a 9 cell or 12 cell battery would be useless expenditure for me.

As for the audio driver software, I've decided to omit it. At least it'll save 500 bucks !!

[drvarunmehta]

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

More than 1 year warranty on a laptop is waste if you are careful about your laptop and can handle it properly.

Tell that to the more than a million Dell/HP/Apple owners who got the defective nVidia GPU that burned out after the warranty expired.

[k4ce]

regarding rs.900 , thats how much u need to add to the price of ur laptop to get the final price including taxes and delivery ...
say after customization if ur laptop price is 56000 , u need to add 900 rs to get the final billing amount .... so u would have to pay 56900 including taxes and delivery

[varuog]

^^^ Okie got it!

1 more thing guys. I've already asked this before but still not convinced.
While customizing the hard drive there are 3 options:

320GB SATA Hard Drive,
320GB SATA 7200RPM Performance Hard Drive &
500GB SATA Hard Drive.

Though I am tempted to go for the 500 GB one ... I want to confirm if the 320 GB 7200 RPM makes significant difference (since I'll be using a 2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB Processor). If it does, then I might opt for this one!

[drvarunmehta]

The HDD is the slowest part of the laptop. Going from 5400 to 7200 rpm makes a huge difference. Unless you really need 500GB space on the laptop, get the 320 GB, 7200 rpm drive instead. You can store your data on an external HDD if the space becomes too less.

[varuog]

Well, it's not that I can't do without a 500GB hard drive ... just that I would love the luxury of having one.

Still, if my laptops performance is significantly improved by a 7200rpm drive then I'd definitely go for it.

[MetalheadGautham]

But remember, battery life gets low once you increase the RPM of your HDD.

So while its cool to have a 7200RPM disk in your laptop when you are in college without having to worry about power, once you take the laptop out after graduation, you should consider replacing it or increasing the battery.

[varuog]

^^^ That was quite useful info.
Is there any heating issues as well ???

I'll ordering the lappy today ....
So, any other advice ???

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by varuog

^^^ That was quite useful info.
Is there any heating issues as well ???

I'll ordering the lappy today ....
So, any other advice ???

Look man, you need to first understand what RPM means. It means rotations per minute. HDD's rorate to fetch data. Faster you rotate, faster is data fetched. But faster you rotate, more is the power consumed.

I guess higher rotation speed must also mean slightly higher temperature but obviously it won't be high enough to be called an "issue".

If you are using the laptop in hostel as a desktop replacement and keep it on for long durations of time, then buy a cheap laptop cooler to keep those temps down since laptops get heated if you keep them on 12 hours a day for ripping movies or downloading files.

[comp@ddict]

I've decided to go with the following configuration:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 64 bit (English)
4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory
500GB SATA Hard Drive
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 edit
Integrated CREATIVE Sound Blaster(R) X-Fi MB Audio Software Solution
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell(TM) Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English)

Costs me Rs. 53453 /- (plus taxes if any) !!!

The model with C2D T6400 2GHz costs Rs 43,000.

Customize that and keep the price under 48k, not worth spending more than that.

[varuog]

okey ... ordered the laptop.
went with the 500gb drive. <<< Got greedy in the end >>>
I am sure it won't make so much of difference in daily use ...

Thanks everyone !!!