Buying a computer from Apple

Last week I looked at the process of buying a computer at an auction. That didn’t work so well, so this week I will tell you about the method I used. I purchased direct from Apple, and had the computer shipped to my home.

I ordered an iMac desktop computer, although students in the program will need to get a MacBook laptop. It means you will have a smaller box to lug in from the door when the courier delivers it. I ordered the computer on a Friday, fairly late in the day.

There was a deal at the time, it might still be going on when students are buying their computer for class in the summer of 2012, offering me $100 worth of iTunes or iApps purchases for buying an educational computer. They shipped this card separately from the computer, and I got it on the Tuesday following.

The computer was shipped on Thursday, and they promised it would come by 6 p.m. on Friday. They lied. It sat in Calgary (don’t ask me why it went from California to Tennessee to Alberta on the way to Sarnia) for three days. But on the Monday it started to roll, and by 2:30 p.m. it was at my front door. You might find the FedEx tracking document posted below interesting.

After that I had to set it up, but that is another blog.

Purchasing locally

Future Shop is the only Sarnia store I know of that sells Mac computers, and they only sell the small 13 inch screen (according to their website, maybe they can order the bigger ones). I would be very cautious about getting this size, because it just isn’t very much screen space for dealing with Photoshop and Dreamweaver. (My new desktop iMac has a massive 27 inch screen, along with a second monitor).

You can buy/order Macs from MacOutpost in London, on Wharncliffe just south of Horton. I have information about a place called P-Town Tech in Petrolia, about 20 miles outside of Sarnia, but haven’t been there. And there is a new Apple corporate store in Waterloo, Ontario, a couple hours outside of Sarnia, but without the hassles of driving through downtown Toronto.

But for me the courier system worked just fine, other than the anticipation of waiting so long. Shipping was free.