Save hundreds on brand new MacBooks, iMacs and MacBook Pros

AppleInsider

A trio of sponsors have teamed up this month to offer AppleInsider readers savings of between $100 and $280 on Apple's most popular Mac product offerings, including the brand new 21- and 27-inch iMacs, as well the newly redesigned white polycarbonate 13-inch MacBook.



White 13-inch MacBooks



For example, OnSale.com is selling the just-announced $999 2.26GHz white MacBook for $923.99 after a $75 mail-in rebate. However, it's also offering AppleInsider readers an additional 3% of when using the links in this article or those in the Mac Price Guide (also below), bringing the final cost down to $899.18.



New 21- and 27-inch wide-screen iMacs



For its part, ClubMac is extending AI readers similar courtesy on sales of Apple's new 21- and 27-inch iMacs. After mail-in rebates are combined with the added 3% discount, the 3.06GHz 21-inch NVIDIA model comes to $1,093.18 ($105.82 savings), the 3.06GHz 21-inch ATI model to $1,374.18 ($124.82 savings), the 3.06GHz 27-inch ATI model to $1,548.18 ($150.82 savings), and the 2.66GHz quad-core 27-inch model to $1,834.18 ($164.82 savings).



13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pros



Meanwhile, MacMall's mail-in rebate and 3% offers cover the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch MacBook Pro lines. After discounts, the 2.26GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro falls to $1,078.18 ($120.82 savings), the 2.53GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro to $1,354.18 ($144.82 savings), the 2.53GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro to $1,543.18 ($155.82 savings), the 2.66GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro to $1,784.18 ($214.82 savings), the 2.80GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro to $2,025.18 ($273.82 savings), and the 2.80GHz 17-inch MacBook Pro to $2,219.18 ($279.82 savings).



In each of the above cases, the resellers' final costs fall below Apple's educational pricing for the respective models. Additional details are available in AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide, which is updated daily.



The 3% discounts are reflected as "Instant Discount(s)" during checkout, after the items have been added to your shopping cart. Discount will not show up before items are added to your shopping cart.



#bfmatrix, #bfmatrix3 { border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #aaa; } Current Generation Macs Product Apple Amazon MacMall MacConnection B&H Best Buy On Sale ClubMac Education Discount MacBook 2.26GHz 13" MacBook (white) $999.00 $994.00 $944.00 $989.99 N/A Yet N/A Yet $899.18? $923.99 $949.00 $99.82 MacBook Pro 2.26GHz 13" MacBook Pro $1,199.00 $1,168.95 $1,078.18* $1,119.00 $1,168.95 $1,199.00 $1,118.99 $1,118.99 $1,099.00 $120.82 2.53GHz 13" MacBook Pro $1,499.00 $1,474.00 $1,354.18* $1,399.00 $1,474.95 $1,499.00 $1,398.99 $1,398.99 $1,399.00 $144.82 2.53GHz 15" MacBook Pro $1,699.00 $1,678.95 $1,543.18* $1,579.00 $1,678.95 $1,699.00 $1,578.99 $1,578.99 $1,599.00 $155.82 2.66GHz 15" MacBook Pro $1,999.00 $1,948.95 $1,784.18* $1,799.00 $1,948.95 $1,999.00 $1,798.99 $1,798.99 $1,849.00 $214.82 2.80GHz 15" MacBook Pro $2,299.00 $2,110.00 $2,025.18* $2,089.00 $2,110.00 $2,229.00 $2,088.99 $2,088.99 $2,099.00 $273.82 2.80GHz 17" MacBook Pro $2,499.00 $2,311.99 $2,219.18* $2,249.00 $2,312.00 $2,499.00 $2,248.99 $2,248.99 $2,299.00 $279.82 MacBook Air 1.86GHz 13" MacBook Air $1,499.00 $1,449.00 $1,394.00 $1,439.00 $1,439.00 $1,499.00 $1,438.99 $1,438.99 $1,399.00 $105.00 2.13GHz 13" MacBook Air $1,799.00 $1,708.99 $1,694.00 $1,729.00 $1,709.95 $1,799.00 $1,728.99 $1,728.99 $1,699.00 $105.00 iMac 3.06GHz Dual 21" iMac $1,199.00 $1,194.00 $1,129.00 $1,169.00 N/A Yet N/A Yet $1129.00 $1,093.18+ $1,149.00 $105.82 3.06GHz Dual 21" iMac $1,499.00 $1,494.00 $1,419.00 $1,489.00 N/A Yet N/A Yet $1,419.00 $1,374.18+ $1,399.00 $124.82 3.06GHz Dual 27" iMac $1,699.00 $1,694.00 $1,599.00 $1,699.00 N/A Yet N/A Yet $1,599.00 $1,548.18+ $1,599.00 $150.82 2.66GHz Quad 27" iMac $1,999.00 $1,994.00 $1,894.00 $1,949.00 N/A Yet N/A Yet $1,894.00 $1,834.18+ $1,899.00 $164.82 Mac mini 2.26GHz Mac mini $599.00 $594.00 $589.99 $579.99 N/A Yet N/A Yet $589.99 $589.99 $549.00 $19.01 2.53GHz Mac mini $799.00 $794.00 $784.99 $769.99 N/A Yet N/A Yet $784.99 $784.99 $749.00 $29.01 Mac Pro 2.66GHz Mac Pro (Quad) $2,499.00 $2,299.00 $2,289.99 $2,299.00 $2,299.00 $2,499.99 $2,298.99 $2,298.99 $2,299.00 $200.01 2.26GHz Mac Pro (Octo) $3,299.00 $3,078.95 $3,069.99 $3,099.00 $3,078.95 $3,299.99 $3,078.99 $3,078.99 $2,999.00 $229.01

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

caljomac

Whooo this is gonna make me really buy a new iMac

teckstud

Quote:

Originally Posted by caljomac


Whooo this is gonna make me really buy a new iMac

And by the time you get your rebate back you'll look just like your emoticon.

archer75

why no discount on the i7 imac?

shanmugam

thank you appleinsider and staff,



but can you remove the product which no longer available? (like previous generation Mac Pro) ...

mactripper

Another savings is doing business with a company that has no physical presence in your state, thus avoiding sales tax.



Apple, even online, has to charge sales tax because they have a store in nearly every state in the union.





For the more advanced among us:



When you first get your Mac from a shipper, it's wise to clone the boot drive to another drive, option boot and repair permissions on both to verify it's working correctly, then erase with Zero option the original boot drive. Cloning copies the whole drive, programs and structure etc. It works just like the original.



Shippers are rough with parcels, damage to the platter sectors may have occurred during transport or from the factory, even from overseas. Zeroing will map off these bad sectors, giving you a much more reliable computing experience and less glitchy behavior. Later on as the drive fills up, it may come across bad sectors and you'll be wondering WTF? So it's wise to Zero early on with every new drive before using it.



You can option boot off the clone and reverse clone after zeroing, keep the clone as a fall back optional boot method in case later on all things go bad with your original drive. Drives are cheap, cloning software like Carbon Copy Cloner and Superduper are near free and easy to use, it's a life saver trust me. Drives just die one day for no reason, great to have a alternate boot method in addition to any other method like Time Machine etc. Don't use Filevault of course.



I was taught this method by video production friends because their files are often quite large and thus more likely to run across bad sectors on the drive. Having watched my hard drives being carelessly dropped at my door and 30" displays just dragged across a busy highway, I was a bit hesitant to order anything online after those incidents, but now take plenty of precautions to protect my data. Zeroing has greatly increased my computers reliability. Also redundancy, lots of redundancy. Store clones and file copies off site in case of fire, theft, flood, and deranged girlfriends too.



And especially for the new iMac, since the hard drive is most likely not user accessible (again), booting off a clone will allow you to use the computer until you can schedule a appointment for service. You might even be able to retrieve files using Data Rescue or any other recovery software which read the bit's directly, bypassing the file system.



Clone your whole boot drive every two weeks, and before any major software install/OS update.



(no comp for product mention)

whatisgoingon

MacMall may not be the best place to buy, particularly to only 'save' $10...



Macintouch MacMall reader page

codog24

Just tried to take advantage of one of these deals (specifically, the 3.06GHz 21-inch ATI iMac), and when the page finally loads, the discount isn't reflected. Maybe this goes into effect tomorrow...?

libertyforall

BUT the cheapest Macs are on eBay, Craigslist, or similar... ;-)

troublestarter

Both MacBook Pro 13" and the new MacBook 13" have:



Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz

2 GB DDR3

1280 x 800 gloss display LCD

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M

7h hour battery

New touch pad



Apparently, the only differences are:



Aluminum case vs Plastic case

Firewire port present vs No Firewire port

Backlit keyboard vs Regular keyboard

160GB vs 250GB (!!!)



But, one costs 1199.00 (or 1078.00 using AppleInsider's discount) and the other costs 999.00 (or 899.18 using AppleInsider's discount).



Does anyone else here think that Apple should lower the prices for MacBook Pro 13"? Or, at least, start shipping MacBook Pro 13" with 250GB standard?



I went to an Apple Store today and test-drove both and, though, I like the aluminum case, I don't see a point in purchasing it anymore, especially with a hard disk 36% smaller.

kasper

Quote:

Originally Posted by codog24


Just tried to take advantage of one of these deals (specifically, the 3.06GHz 21-inch ATI iMac), and when the page finally loads, the discount isn't reflected. Maybe this goes into effect tomorrow...?

The 3% discount are reflected as "Instant Discount(s)" during checkout, after the items have been added to your shopping cart. Discount will not show up before items are added to your shopping cart.





Sorry-- shoulda made that clear

shogun

Ha. Mail in rebate? I don't think so. I've never had one of those come through. They always put 17 steps in there that you have to do exactly so then ding you and disqualify the request based on some stupid meaningless misstep.



To be clear, I don't have experience with these companies and mail in rebates, but thanks but no thanks. Not worth 45 minutes of my time to fill out paperwork for a rebate that'll never arrive.

hpapad01

I think the best rebate program I have experienced belongs to Canon. The advertised rebate is deducted at the point of sale. Period, end of story, no papers to fill, no steps to follow, no waiting for a check. And BTW, I am a Nikon shooter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shogun


Ha. Mail in rebate? I don't think so. I've never had one of those come through. They always put 17 steps in there that you have to do exactly so then ding you and disqualify the request based on some stupid meaningless misstep.



To be clear, I don't have experience with these companies and mail in rebates, but thanks but no thanks. Not worth 45 minutes of my time to fill out paperwork for a rebate that'll never arrive.

undo redo

I have always gotten the rebates; on several computer purchases. Just follow simple directions. It takes about 10 minutes.

bugsnw

I used to fill in and send those rebates for MacMall purchases. Then I discovered that Apple was more than willing to beat any and all deals. This offered quick and easy on-the-phone customization and ordering with software discounts often thrown in for good measure.



So I order exclusively from Apple via a phone rep. Great customer service and goodies thrown in. I've retired from filling out rebate forms and hoping for the best.



By the way, thank you for link. Tomorrow I'll order the 27" and hopefully get to keep a little extra xmas money in my pocket.

libertyforall

Rebates do suck, although the Bing rebate is ok, you just have to wait for a few weeks for some...

nasserae

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shogun


Ha. Mail in rebate? I don't think so. I've never had one of those come through. They always put 17 steps in there that you have to do exactly so then ding you and disqualify the request based on some stupid meaningless misstep.



To be clear, I don't have experience with these companies and mail in rebates, but thanks but no thanks. Not worth 45 minutes of my time to fill out paperwork for a rebate that'll never arrive.

MacMall rebate is really easy to do. You can fill the form well before you receive your Mac, check it out before you buy on their website. Amazon rebate program is electronic and simple as well. I remember I received the rebates from MacMall within 2 weeks or so after mailing and Amazon within the same time frame. I like ordering from MacMall and Amazon (and other online places) because I don't have to pay taxes, which is something around $88 for each $1000 in my state) and the rebate is a plus.

bugsnw

Technically, those that buy from out of state retailers still owe Sales Tax (if their state has a sales tax, which most do). It's just called a Use tax. And it's up to the individual to track online purchases where ST was not paid and remit the identical amount that would have been paid if the retailer had collected ST.



Amazon is one of the few that doesn't collect it for states where it has no nexus. But that's going to change, especially with the current budget deficits across many states. They will be looking at all possible revenue sources. And this is one big source that is being overlooked (well, except if you're a business, where the collection is far more aggressive).

technohermit

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider


the 2.53GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro to $1,543.18 ($155.82 savings)

Aww man, I'm so broke, but I'd love to sell my current 2.4 C2D Mid-08 and get this unibody. Matte screen, though

houseley

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider


A trio of sponsors have teamed up this month to offer AppleInsider readers

...in the US only?

tbell

Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, current federal law forbids the states to force online retailers to collect sales tax where the online retailer doesn't have an in state physical location. States have been pressuring Congress to change this, but so far the online retailers have been victorious in getting Congress to resist the change. States can regulate brick and mortar stores because they have an in state presence. Online stores most often do not.



Like you say, the buyer, however, is supposed to report this purchase on their Income Tax Return in the states that have a sales tax. The buyer hardly ever does this, which is why states are unhappy. I do not feel bad for the States though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugsnw


Technically, those that buy from out of state retailers still owe Sales Tax (if their state has a sales tax, which most do). It's just called a Use tax. And it's up to the individual to track online purchases where ST was not paid and remit the identical amount that would have been paid if the retailer had collected ST.



Amazon is one of the few that doesn't collect it for states where it has no nexus. But that's going to change, especially with the current budget deficits across many states. They will be looking at all possible revenue sources. And this is one big source that is being overlooked (well, except if you're a business, where the collection is far more aggressive).