Newbie Questions!

Jimaaaaa · Mar 6, 2013

Hi guys, I am completely new to the forums and to Mac Books so I have a whole bunch of questions that I was hoping you guys could answer for me! I'm getting a Mac Book next week for my birthday so I am trying to do all the research I can but I haven't been very successful with that. To make it easier for your guys I'll just list out the questions down below instead of typing them in this paragraph.

P.S: I am getting a 13 inch MBP.

My life of questions!
Should I buy at the Apple Store or at Best Buy? The price is $80 cheaper at BB and I get can get financed for 24 months w/o interest but I hear that the customer service at the Apple sotre is way better.
Is Apple Care worth the money?
Should I buy warranty from BB if I do decide to purchase from them?
Is the new 2013 MBP coming out anytime soon?
Do I need to buy software for the laptop (like word, powerpoint, and excel) or does it already come with the computer?

Thanks for reading guys!

MacInWin · Mar 6, 2013

Happy Birthday!

Either store should be OK, but personally for the $80 I'd go to the Apple store, if I had the cash in hand. If not, then the financing at BB is attractive, but watch the interest you'll pay.

AppleCare is like any warranty extension, your mileage may vary. The original Apple warranty is really good, and the product is high quality. Personally, I tried AppleCare on my first iMac, had zero problems with it and haven't bought it since. Others may have other comments and experiences.

I don't buy the BB warranty for anything.,

Apple doesn't release any information about upcoming products. But a new MBP bought now will last you for years.

No productivity software comes with it, but you can get Pages, Numbers and Keynote (equivalent to Word, Excel and PP, respectively) for $20 each at the App Store. LibreOffice is a free Office look-alike that may also meet your needs.

Welcome to the Mac world! This is a great forum for new Mac users. I suggest you read the sticky threads at the top of the forum before you get your MBP so that you will be a leg up on the transition.

Jimaaaaa · Mar 6, 2013

MacInWin said:
Happy Birthday!

Either store should be OK, but personally for the $80 I'd go to the Apple store, if I had the cash in hand. If not, then the financing at BB is attractive, but watch the interest you'll pay.

AppleCare is like any warranty extension, your mileage may vary. The original Apple warranty is really good, and the product is high quality. Personally, I tried AppleCare on my first iMac, had zero problems with it and haven't bought it since. Others may have other comments and experiences.

I don't buy the BB warranty for anything.,

Apple doesn't release any information about upcoming products. But a new MBP bought now will last you for years.

No productivity software comes with it, but you can get Pages, Numbers and Keynote (equivalent to Word, Excel and PP, respectively) for $20 each at the App Store. LibreOffice is a free Office look-alike that may also meet your needs.

Welcome to the Mac world! This is a great forum for new Mac users. I suggest you read the sticky threads at the top of the forum before you get your MBP so that you will be a leg up on the transition.

Thanks for the welcoming and the response! I'm really excited to get my MB. Would love to hear some more responses! :Smirk:

docx · Mar 6, 2013

When I got my first mac I found the Tutors for mac from the app store very helpful.
Good luck and enjoy your mac

xdunlapx · Mar 6, 2013

I made the switch to Mac mid last year. I LOVE IT! I did buy the Apple Care since this mac was super expensive (I sprung for the mid size SSD) and more RAM. I think I will always end up buying the Apple Care even if I probably won't need it. These computers are expensive and I want to make sure if something does go wrong, I can easily get it fixed without hassle. I do suggest Apple Care.

I personally wouldn't buy from BB only because I would get an upgraded drive and possbily ram. But if you are happy with the specs from the one from BB then by all means, go for it. I've heard the warranty you can buy from BB isn't worth anything, so I'd suggest apple care if you do decide to buy it.

I think you have up to the first year after purchase to buy apple care which will then extend your purchase for 2 more years.

Happy Birthday!!!

Slydude · Mar 6, 2013

I did not buy AppleCare for the first few macs we've owned but did for the last two machines. I did get the hard drive replaced under warranty in the MacBook Pro. I've only used the warranty once. They cross shipped a replacement hard drive and I installed it myself.

I will be looking for a new machine soon and am debating the warranty. On other Macs I have not bothered because I could replace the hard drive or memory myself. That is less true for some of the current models which might make it worth getting the warranty.

chscag · Mar 6, 2013

On other Macs I have not bothered because I could replace the hard drive or memory myself. That is less true for some of the current models which might make it worth getting the warranty.

Definitely a noteworthy statement from Slydude. It's next to impossible to replace a hard drive in the new 21.5" iMacs and very difficult for the 27" model as well. And anyone who ordered a "Fusion" drive for their machine, likewise need to take note. Apple Care is a must.

And you need not pay full price for Apple Care as it can be ordered from several authorized Apple dealers at a substantial discount. B&H Photo in NYC is one such reseller who sells Apple Care discounted.

Slydude · Mar 6, 2013

chscag said:
And you need not pay full price for Apple Care as it can be ordered from several authorized Apple dealers at a substantial discount. B&H Photo in NYC is one such reseller who sells Apple Care discounted.

I either forgot that or did not know it. Hopefully I will remember that when it is time to get the new machine.

chas_m · Mar 7, 2013

Best Buy is on very shaky financial ground -- the upfront cost of a unit might be a little cheaper from them but you'll definitely pay for it later.

rainbowcat · Mar 7, 2013

Skip Best Buy

Go to an Apple Store. Best Buy's tech support is terrible for Macs, so their warranties aren't useful. I have an iPad, iMac and MacBook, and have never needed Apple Care. There are plenty of online line help tutorials if you need them, and this forum is amazing if you get stuck.

Open Office is a free download that works great on Macs; as much as I love my Macs, I don't like Pages. Keynote is definitely worth purchasing, and I'd take Numbers over Excel.

Poolman · Mar 7, 2013

chas_m said:
Best Buy is on very shaky financial ground -- the upfront cost of a unit might be a little cheaper from them but you'll definitely pay for it later.

I bought my mbp (early 2011) from BB at a $90 discount and while I've had no problems I assumed my 1 yr. warranty was direct with apple. I would never get a BB warranty and planned to get apple care but just forgot before time ran out. Good point by others with the less serviceable newer macs apple care is a better investment.

pigoo3 · Mar 7, 2013

rainbowcat said:
Best Buy's tech support is terrible for Macs, so their warranties aren't useful.

If the appropriate Best Buy warranty is purchased...unlike Applecare...this Best Buy warranty will completely repair/replace a computer that was accidentally damaged by the owner...including liquid spills. But...this is a one-time only sort of thing. To regain this coverage after a replacement...the warranty must be repurchased.

Best Buy Computer Warranty

- Nick

toMACsh · Mar 8, 2013

The "conventional wisdom" is to get Apple Care for laptops, but not for desktops. I was told that the parts in a Mac Mini are similar to those in a laptop, for others who might be reading this.

MacInWin · Mar 8, 2013

toMACsh said:
The "conventional wisdom" is to get Apple Care for laptops, but not for desktops. I was told that the parts in a Mac Mini are similar to those in a laptop, for others who might be reading this.

That wisdom may be changing, given the fact that the new iMacs are almost impossible to open to get at the parts. I think that as Poolman said, the AppleCare warranty is probably a better buy now than it used to be for the iMac.

docx · Mar 8, 2013

It pays to shop around for Apple care.
I just bought it on Amazon for less than half the price Apple where asking

toMACsh · Mar 10, 2013

docx said:
It pays to shop around for Apple care.
I just bought it on Amazon for less than half the price Apple where asking

Try LA Computing also.

Newbie Questions!

Jimaaaaa

MacInWin

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Jimaaaaa

docx

xdunlapx

Slydude

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chscag

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Slydude

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chas_m

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rainbowcat

Poolman

pigoo3

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toMACsh

MacInWin

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docx

toMACsh

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