I am considering purchasing the new iMac, and live very close to a retail Apple store. Any advice as to advantages and disadvantages of purchasing online vs. at the retail store? Cost? Customization? Support differences? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.
One major advantage to purchasing online is that you can forgo the sales tax of your state, which can be pretty hefty depending on the model you purchase. However, one distinct advantage to purchasing at an Apple Store is that you have a local "advocate" in case you have problems with your computer. Yes, any authorized dealer will help you deal with warranty issues (including the Apple Store); however, if you get a lemon, the Apple Store will probably give you a new one and they might be more inclined to help in general. The Apple Store will also take returns (minus a 10% restocking fee). Most mail order places won't take returns on Apple products.
So, the bottom line is that it might be cheaper to go with an online retailer, you might get better customer service by going with the Apple Store.
Another point to consider is that online retailers often offer perks (free RAM, printer, iPod shuffles) as incentives. Of course, these usually involve a rebate of some kind.
Sales tax and shipping costs can add up, but if you are not custom configuring your iMac, you can get immediate gratification by buying locally. Also, some retailers local to me have a "no-questions asked" return policy without a restocking fee. That is nice if you are concerned as other were about noise.
Sales tax is charged if the retailer has a presence in the state that the purchase is being shipped to. Since Apple is in all 50 states - I believe - they will have to charge the appropriate local taxes.
Just fyi, I didn't assume that Greg was talking about purchasing from Apple online. I was thinking of Macmall, Powermax, Small Dog, Macconnection, Amazon, and the like. Yes, if you purchase online from Apple you will have to pay sales tax.
If your choice is between purchasing Apple online and purchasing at the Apple Store, definitely go for the Apple Store. They can even do customizations a la the online store if you wish.
I think this is true in the Apple store too, and only because they "take away" the wired keyboard and mouse that would have otherwise come with your new mac. At least that's what the guy in my Apple store told me a few months ago when I got my new (now old, sniff) iMac.
Note to all:
Check if your company has a corporate partnership with Apple; mine did, and it meant 6% off the price in the Apple store, or 8% with Apple online.
Not that it matters much now, but CompUSA is offering the 20" iMac G5 for $1499,99. The reason I mention this is CompUSA has price protection, meaning if the price drops within 21 days, CompUSA will refund you the difference. I am not sure if the Apple Store offers this service.
But I do wish I had four Apple Stores in my area, I have to settle going to CompUSA for my Mac stuff.
"Yes, but at Amazon (who is currently charging shipping for Macs) does anyone pay sales tax, or does Amazon not have a state? someone should adopt them"
Amazon does not charge tax in most states. However they do charge s/h of about $31.40 (on the revB model, anyway; new one supposed to be lighter). This is much less than the tax in most states. Another advantage of Amazon is their generous 30 day return policy. For the record, I'll also vouch that Amazon refunded me $300 when I emailed them on Friday about a new model coming out 3 weeks after I received my revB! Their $100 rebates makes their prices cheapest of anywhere, I believe. So, as you might imagine, I'm quite pleased with Amazon all around.
I HAD to buy mine from CompUSA as Applecare can't be sold in Florida and I wanted an extended warranty - CompUSA sold me their 3 year plan so I would be covered for 3 full years. Too bad they can sell an extended warranty but the Apple store here in Jax. could not.
I don't think there is much difference between the Apple Retail experience and the online Apple Store experience (assuming you are talking about buying online at the Apple Store and not at other retailers). The support, with AppleCare, is the same. I purchased both my computers on the online Apple Store because I wanted custom options. When the Combo drive on my iBook G4 failed, I took it in to my local Apple Store, and they promptly fixed it, and even threw in a new keyboard (for the laptop)! I would go online if you want any custom options. I see you chose the GarageBand guitar as your logo. If you ARE a musician, you are going to need extra RAM, more than comes with the computer. I recommend at least 2GB for audio processing... the new iMac G5's have a maximum RAM capacity of 2.5GB, and that would do just fine, but be prepared to fork over some real cash for all that extra RAM. GOOD LUCK!
Thanks, everyone, for your input. I was talking about Apple online vs. Apple retail store, just to clear up the confusion. I just returned from the retail store and they say it will be a week or two before they receive the new iMacs. Thanks for the thoughts on the additional RAM. Although I used the guitar for my logo, I'm really just a wanna be musician!
I just finished a 2 hour Jam session using my Gibson hooked to my Imac and using Guitar Rig software - haven't even plugged my REAL Amp in in a long time as the Imac makes a great Amp Simulator with either "Guitar Rig", "Amplitube" or Garage Band 2. I have an M-audio Fastrack USB Interface but I never even use it anymore - Just jack my guitar directly into the Imac's input using a 1/4-1/8" adapter - sounds great!
