So you are looking for an Apple Laptop… You can always purchase through the regular apple.com website or walk into any of the local Apple Stores in your area.
If you wish to support YVOD, you can make your purchase (for the same price) through the special Agent Store. For YVOD to get credit you need to put in our Agent ID – AA071652 – on the final checkout screen. There is no advantage to you by checking out this way, but it does slide my company a few commission pennies =)
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Now that the foolish stuff is out of the way, there are really only two options for a laptop when it comes to owning a Mac. The MacBook and the MacBook Pro. If you are using your computer for anything other than serious Photoshop/Video/Sound work, I suggest you purchase a MacBook. The one exception to this is for “Road Warriors” who need the extra “expansion slot” that comes with the Pro.
It really is an easy decision. We have sold dozens of MacBooks and only 3 Pros. That is not to say the Pros are not great machines, they are. But the MacBooks are so good that it just does not make sense for most folks to go with the more expensive option.
There are three MacBooks to choose from. The cheap one is, well, cheap and does not burn DVD’s [it reads them just fine]. The second option costs $200 more, is a tiny bit faster (you will never notice the difference) and burns DVD’s. The final one adds another $200 to the price, comes with a slightly larger hard drive (+20GB) and a sleek black exterior. Before you laugh, EVERYONE who has chosen the black one is happy they did. I do mean everyone. For what it’s worth, I own the cheapo option with maximum memory and a larger hard drive (as discussed below).
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I suggest that everyone purchase additional memory. It is the cheapest way to get the most out of your computer. 1GB total (+$100 through Apple) is the minimum anyone should have and I strongly suggest folks pump it up to 2GB. Apple is insane and sells 2GB for $500. If you want 2GB, purchase the memory through YVOD and let us install it (takes 15 minutes) for a total of $350.
The only other option I suggest folks think about is to increase the size of their hard drive. If you are happy with 1GB of extra memory, go for the 100GB hard drive upgrade (+$150) through Apple. If you have YVOD install the memory, I suggest you purchase the hard drive through us as well so you get the most value for your dollar. $160 gets you a 120 GB drive (instead of a 100GB through Apple).
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I like AppleCare since it gives peace of mind for two extra years. If anything goes wrong, Apple will fix your computer for free. Is that worth $250 to you? It is to me.
You probably don’t need anything else besides a case to carry your new computer in. My favorite are the MarWare bags but everyone has different needs.
PS: One last note. While not strictly an issue with the purchase a lot of folks ask me about Windows running on their new Mac. Yup, it really is easy.
If you want the most compatibility and do not mind restarting every time you run Windows, choose Apple’s very own Book Camp. If, like me, you want to run both Windows and Mac OS X at the same time, purchase Parallels Desktop for $80 and have the best of all worlds (Linux included)! For either option you will need your own copy of Windows.
YVOD charges $150 to install either option but then you must purchase through the Agent Store and I suggest you ship the unit directly to us. As the consultant who is responsible for Windows installations said of my cheapo MacBook; “No fair! Your >>LAPTOP<< is faster than my $3,000 gaming machine and it is also running Mac OS X! How did Apple pull that off?!?!?!"