<p>Okay, so I'm trying to figure out if it'd be better to make my Apple purchases at the UCSD Bookstore or at the local Apple store.</p>
<p>The MacBook at UCSD is discounted an additional $100, but you only get a $70 rebate on the printer as opposed to $100 for Apple. Also, I want to get a RAM upgrade on the MacBook and it says to "email <a href="mailto:boss@ucsd.edu">boss@ucsd.edu</a>" for customization but I find that rather vague as they don't even list the possible upgrades and prices.</p>
<p>The thing that bugs me the most is that UCSD doesn't have shipping charges listed anywhere on their site. When trying to check out, it says that the shipping and tax fees will be given after the order is placed. Okay, I'd like to know how much I will be charged for shipping <em>before</em> I pay for it. I don't think that's unreasonable.</p>
<p>Still, the shipping costs can't exceed the $70 I will save buying from UCSD as opposed to Apple, right?</p>
<p>Why don’t you buy it off of Amazon? You get free shipping and you don’t have to pay the CA sales tax. Buy RAM on there also and save a hundred by installing it yourself (the upgrade they offer is a ripoff) and then use the money you save to buy a good printer, some starbucks, and a pair of matching skullcandy headphones. Then you’re quest of looking like a tool will be complete.</p>
<p>But to answer you question: shipping will never costs $70, especially for a laptop, unless it was a) overnighted b) shipped from overseas or c) sent in a crate that weighed a ton.</p>
<p>apple is awesome! congrats to you! I haven’t had any issues with my macbook this year unlike some of my PC-using friends.</p>
<p>I think installing the RAM yourself is a terrible idea unless you’re a computer pro. And also, to teabagger (gross), there is no reason to call the OP a tool. </p>
<p>I also have never heard of anyone purchasing their computer from the bookstore. My advice is go to the Apple store because they are smart and reliable when dealing with Macs. It’s not that big of a monetary difference is it?</p>
<p>Some schools will have discounts that will have up to 300-400$ difference in market prices, so there is an edge, then again, the con is that you need to know what you want to get a handle on if it is actually a deal.</p>
<p>I would get a PC, very customizable and its better than Macs :)</p>
<p>Installing ram is not difficult at all. A simple youtube search will give you all the instructions you need to do it properly. You shouldn’t pay someone a ridiculous amount of money when it can be easily done in a few minutes. If your going to buy it now, you might want to take in account that if you buy it from the apple store you can get a free ipod. You can sell it and save an additional 200 dollars or so after rebate.</p>
<p>When you buy the macbook, you would pay for the ipod, but apple would send you a rebate for the price of it. If you get the entry level macbook for $950 + tax, you could sell it and just subtract it from the total cost. If you get a ipod touch and could sell it for $200 or so, the cost of the macbook would be $750 plus tax. That seems to be a better deal than amazon or ucsd.</p>
<p>i would go with the apple store. i dont think ucsd gives you a free iTouch or a free printer when you buy the macbook… you can sell the ipod and get money for a ram or you can keep it because it’ll be handy when you’re on campus (WiFi capabilities). you also save money on shipping</p>
<p>Is there a model refresh coming up? If so, it would be in your best interest to wait. The bookstore offers RIDICULOUS discounts on Macbook Pros…in fact, I believe after this last update when they came out with the Unibody design, the old Macbook Pro was selling at the same price of a newly redesigned Macbook.</p>
<p>Don’t pay for the upgrading the RAM from Apple. If it really bothers you so much to do it yourself then just have someone at ucsd do it for you. I’ll even do it for you.</p>
<p>Model refresh for these seems to happen in October/November (after back to school season, haha). I bought mine through the Apple online store, because the discount was greater than the bookstore (though this was for the unibody MBP when it just came out in October.) Though, unless you absolutely need the new model immediately (I did) or have to customize heavily, try Amazon.</p>
<p>it’d be nice to familiarize yourself w/the computer before school started.</p>
<p>and while i did have a printer, by the end i was just using campus printing – so much cheaper than having to deal with ink cartridges and paper. (plus, suitemates were always using it) with the libraries and ACS all over campus, it’s really convenient.</p>
I’m tempted by the free ipod and printer…</p>