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Advice On Buying An Apple Laptop - Can You Help Me?

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Any reason why I can't buy these from TradeMe?
Or should I just go (online) to the local Mac shop (http://www.magnummaconline.co.nz) and buy a new one?

All advice (I know NOTHING) about buying an Apple laptop is greatly received.
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What do I want it for?
  • Getting online (WiFi and/or Telstra cable)
  • Watching stuff via our TV
  • Hooking up the (to be bought) iPhone to iTunes
  • Storing and playing all my CD's
Um, er that's it ...
(and I know this is the second time I've asked this, please bear with me)

* at time of posting

Comments

Deborah Fitchett said…
If you get a new one you get a warranty with it and can opt for an extended warranty. I find the extended warranty extremely worthwhile with laptops - when you cram lots of stuff into a small area and especially if you carry it around a lot and occasionally bash it into things like me, things are more likely to break than a desktop. It has, for me, almost invariably paid for itself. Whether it's worth the difference between new and second-hand for you may be another matter.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 4:03:00 pm
Anonymous said…
don't buy the air. they have heating issues, afaik.

meanwhile the pro is a nice machine. i think you can also purchase a warranty?

that said, as long as the former owner was koshur you should be ok. sue t. would be the person to talk to. she's have various troubles with them
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:28:00 pm
Anonymous said…
If you want to buy a new one, I'd suggest getting it from www.macdirectseller.co.nz in Tauranga. They've got much better prices than Magnum Mac and provide the same (free) 1 year resp (to be paid extra) 3 year warranty. Absolutely reliable, I know tons of people who have bought there and I bought 3 myself from Jens.

I'm very happy with my MB Pro(s), but I use them for work, developing, multimedia etc. For the stuff you're talking about here, I'd prob go for a regular Macbook, put 2 GB RAM in it and might get a larger hard drive, depending on how MANY CDs you wanna store :-) - or just use an external HD.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:47:00 pm
Anonymous said…
Oh, I also would consider twice from buying something that expensive from someone at Trade Me who was just 91% positive feedback. Really, I personally wouldn't in this case.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:51:00 pm
Anonymous said…
There are rumours of an update on the pro (http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/17/new-macbook-pros-leaked-on-german-site/) but then there are always rumours of an update on the pro and it hasn't happened yet. That damn latch needs to GO though.

The air is not a nerd's computer, not at all. We have one and there are a few things that are really hard about it - no GigE, no firewire, concern about replacing the drive should it ever go "pop". Performance is adequate but no better. However, it *is* a computer for people who like to pick things up and go "wooooowwwww!". As an object it's really quite something and the screen is a thing of beauty.

I also bought my MBP from mac direct seller and had no problems.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 7:36:00 pm
Unknown said…
Mike - go on the nz apple store website, there is a refurbished section bottom left of the page. they are basicaly good as new and have factory warranty. you save loads - i got mine through the uk version
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 11:01:00 pm
styler said…
go to toucan not magnum mac
since my experience of the worst service everywhere, everyone tells me go to toucan. And since dealing with them by email alone i'm a beliver.

however there are advantages to buying online at the apple store, or if you wait for the right time order at noel lemmings and get fly buys

forget the air for what you want to do
it's a great travel computer, but not day to day

i also hear rumours of a new mac, but they could be lies, lies dammed lies. and if you know anyone visiting from usa, get them to buy.

and do you need new?
my reconditionad mactop is awesome
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 11:22:00 pm
Anonymous said…
I would never buy a used laptop if I could avoid it. Unless you knew and trusted the seller, I reckon - there's just too much that can go wrong.

I'm thinking about a MacBook Air for work. Heat issues notwithstanding (and in any case demolished in MacWorld testing) the MacBook air is rumoured for an imminent refresh which would make it a speedier (although still expensive) choice.

Otherwise a white or black regular MacBook would be a cheaper, and somewhat speedier, choice. I've had my black MacBook for over two years now, and it's a pretty good machine (apart from the battery capacity now being about 10 minutes. Grrrrrrr.) Perhaps of the options on offer you should just go for what the budget allows.

Lastly, and I know this isn't in your brief above, but why a Mac laptop? Why not a Windows one, which could do all the things on your list anyway? You could easily get something at a lower price point (though not comparatively spec'd) than the MacBooks? Or... can you get iTunes to run under WINE on your ubuntu machine?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 11:42:00 pm
Unknown said…
Don't buy a Mac just yet (regardless if it's off TradeMe). The current rumor is that a refresh of the MacBook lineup will happen in the next month (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Portable_Macs).

Another thing to do is always, always get AppleCare.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:36:00 pm
Brett Legree said…
Lots of folks will say don't buy yet because a refresh is coming, but if you need it now, buy it - the current models are well tested, I'd say. A refresh might not be 100 percent reliable out of the box (rev.0 of anything can be like that, which is why I waited a few revs before buying my MBP, the first Intel MBP's had issues).

Also, you can apparently purchase AppleCare for your machine any time up until the stock warranty runs out - just in case you don't buy it right away but change your mind.

My brother-in-law's had good results with "previously enjoyed" Macs.

In any case, good luck. Hey, what happened to the "eye" picture?

-Brett
Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:15:00 am
Mike Riversdale said…
Thank you everyone!
Especially thanks to those that warned of a possible/probable update coming - seems Oct 14th is the most touted date.

And so I'm gonna wait until then (much to the annoyance of my wife and Mum :-)

As to why a Mac and not a PC - emotional decision (fed up with the crap of Windows) and usability for the family.

Thanks again everyone, very VERY helpful
Saturday, September 27, 2008 1:34:00 pm
Mike Riversdale said…
@Brett - the "eye" picture is still around and can pop-up but it's no longer the only picture being used as the site now randomly flick(r)s between pictures of me.
Saturday, September 27, 2008 1:41:00 pm
Brett Legree said…
@Mike,

Cool about the eye pic! I suppose as you say if the new models are out in a couple of weeks, might as well wait - regardless you won't be disappointed. I run (if needed) Windows on my MBP via Fusion, so it is the ultimate machine for me.

Can't wait to hear how you like your Mac when you get it!

Cheers,

Brett
Monday, September 29, 2008 7:45:00 am
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