Mountain View Computer Users Group

(This article was originally published in the November 2002 issue of Citrus Macintosh Users Group Magazine.)

Last month I gave advice on buying a new Macintosh computer. This month I'm going to try to clarify that process by using a specific example.

Let's say you've decided you can afford to spend about $1200 on your new Mac. You want either a 17" CRT display or a 15" flat panel, which gives you about the same viewing area. You want sufficient RAM to run the new Mac operating system, OS X, which means you will need at least 256 MB.

You want to have the ability to burn CDs, so you can back up your data, photos, and maybe movies, and even to make customized music disks. You would like to have the capability to read DVDs, but that's not an absolute necessity. Incidentally, the DVD reader is being used for more than just movies these days; for example, the Encyclopedia Britannica comes in a DVD version, to allow for more multi-media material.

In your price range, you are going to be limited to either a G4 eMac with a combination CD-RW and DVD-ROM or a G4 iMac (the old G3s are also still around) with only the CD-RW. The eMac comes with a 17" CRT display, while the iMac has a 15" flat panel, attached to the dome shaped base by a flexible silver shaft. The eMac is a hefty 50-pounder, while the iMac weighs only about 20 pounds.

Remember that I am doing all this the first part of September. By the time you get around to shopping for your new computer, all the prices, features, incentives and everything else may well have changed.

First we'll hit the Apple Store. Since the "local" variety isn't very close to me here in Arizona, I can only access the online version at Apple.com. Right now Apple has the Combo Drive eMac for $1099. That only includes 128 MB of RAM, but you can double that for a special price of $40. The G4 iMac will run you $1199, with the same deal on the extra 128 MB of RAM. Apple is not charging for shipping, but it does add state sales tax, both online and locally.

I also tried Dealmac.com, to see if it had any good prices on these models. I entered both "iMac" and "eMac" in the "Find More Deals" field and hit the "Deal" button. Alas, Dealmac didn't have any current deals available.

Next I went to Macreviewzone.com, which compares the prices of all Mac computers at the main Mac Internet merchants on a weekly basis. Here, in the "eMac DealZone," I found that Apple has a new promotion, awarding you a $99 rebate on either an HP Deskjet 3820 ($100 MSRP) or a Deskjet 5550 ($150 MSRP), if purchased with a new Mac computer. This is available at the Apple stores (though I hadn't noticed it when I shopped there) and at other select retailers.

Now, here's where the price comparison game gets complicated. If all you want is the computer, then you can just compare the cost of the computer, along with shipping and tax, if any. But we've already decided that you at least want to double the RAM that comes standard on these two models.

You can get 128 MB of extra RAM at MacConnection without any installation charge on the eMac, and 512 MB for only $5 on the iMac. MacConnection's prices for the computers are $5 less than Apple's, and it charges for shipping but not sales tax. But you can't get the printer deal there.

You can get the printer special at Club Mac and MacMall. Club Mac also will include, in addition to the RAM and the printer, business software called MYOB FirstEdge for shipping charges only and Microsoft Office v. X for $189 additional. By now you're probably saying, "But I don't want all that." I just mention it because there are a whole bunch of alternatives offered at Club Mac when you are buying your computer.

You need to be really careful to make sure you are ordering what it is that you want, not something more and not anything less. At Club Mac, if you order from the "Best Sellers" listings, none of the above options are even mentioned. But be sure to visit the website of any retailer you are considering for your purchase. You need to make sure that what MacReviewZone says is really the case. And you will probably want to call on the phone just to make doubly sure your order is what you intend it to be.

A final possibility is to buy a reconditioned computer. Of course, you may be wary of doing this, concerned that it will cost you more in trouble than what you save. A recent discussion of this on Dealmac/Chat indicated that many who have bought reconditioned units have been most satisfied. A technician at Small Dog Electronics, a major supplier of reconditioned Macs, claimed that the failure rate for reconditioned computers was only about one percent greater than for new ones.

Small Dog is currently offering the reconditioned eMac for $999 and the iMac for $1050. Small Dog often puts together some rather interesting bundles of products with their reconditioned Macs.

When I started writing this article, I hoped I'd be able to use a case study to clarify some of the intricacies of buying a computer, or more accurately of getting a good deal on one. I may just have made it seem even more complicated than it really is. But try shopping on the Internet for a new computer. It won't cost you anything until you hit that last confirmation button.

- 30 -