<p>This is a totally paranoid question, but I am in the final stages of selecting the Macbook for college, and wondering if there's any difference in buying the Macbook in store and opening it immediately (with the ipod and printer discounts) or ordering it online.</p>
<p>Do the retail stores do customizations...say like, changing 1GB Memory to 2GB Memory...</p>
<p>Would there be any difference? Maybe the Macbooks in the Apple Store might not be as up to date? Or is that skewed reasoning? Any benefits of either choice?</p>
<p>That's funny - I just ordered a macbook (white, 2.16 ghz, Superdrive, 1 GB memory) today! Here's the thing. I also wanted all the printer and ipod discounts so I went to the apple store with my dad (who is being kind enough to pay for a lot of it). I also wanted Photoshop CS3 special discount (I pay $200 vs $1000!) and I learned that I had to do that discount over the phone while ordering all of the above extras. That discount cannot be done in the retail store. Be aware that you also need to fill out all the paperwork for the discounts regardless of where you order from.</p>
<p>Enough red tape for you? ; )</p>
<p>I assume you don't need CS3, so ordering online should be fine I think ... just double check on the website. One last thing, do NOT upgrade the memory thru apple; the're a total ripoff! Go through a 3rd party company like Crucial. MUCH cheaper and it doesn't void warrenty. Hope this helps</p>
<p>Yes you can get a RAM upgrade in the store, but if you want to upgrade the hard drive you have to order it online.</p>
<p>The big difference between buying it from the store and online is that at the store you can return it directly back to them instead of sending it in if it needs to be fixed. also the macbook will not have the latest updates, which is no big deal at all. because as soon as you turn on your comp and go on the internet it will automatically ask you to update.</p>
<p>I purchased my macbook over a week ago at the store and getting the edu discount and everything else was easy and really quick. no waiting for a week for it to ship! just make sure you bring some form of school id or your acceptance letter to show proof. i would call the apple store you are going to ahead to check if they have any macbooks in stock too, just to be on the safe side.</p>
<p>If you buy it from the apple store can you still make payments on it as if you bought it online, or do you have to pay the total amount up front?</p>