We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
MacBook Cost Comparison

wdw2003
Posts: 235 Forumite

in Techie Stuff
Hi. First post from a long-time lurker, with a couple of questions on buying a MacBook. Sorry that it's so long.
My style-conscious student daughter wants to buy a MacBook and thinks that getting one in the US on a trip next year would be the cheapest option.
I've had a look and the MacBook Pro in the US Apple store is $1,200, or about £785, compared to £939 on UK Amazon. I'm aware that Amazon.com do it even cheaper, but she couldn't risk delivery to an American address.
Possibly the US cost would need tax added, at about 8.75% (in NY, I think), which would narrow the gap to about £80. To that, we'd need to add the small cost for a UK plug adaptor or new charger, and there would no doubt be less favourable guarantee implications and the (however remote) possibility of UK customs fees.
What would be the cheapest and least risky way of buying a MacBook?
Second question - I doubt that our PC Microsoft Office 2010 would simply transfer to the Mac, so presumably that cost should be factored in. I've seen it for about £80. Is that correct, and are there any other costs she should take into account?
I think she's crazy, as she works part-time in a shop for her spending money, but one part of me thinks that if she spends so much of her own money, she'll look after it much better than the cheapo Dell that she pretty much wrecked.
My style-conscious student daughter wants to buy a MacBook and thinks that getting one in the US on a trip next year would be the cheapest option.
I've had a look and the MacBook Pro in the US Apple store is $1,200, or about £785, compared to £939 on UK Amazon. I'm aware that Amazon.com do it even cheaper, but she couldn't risk delivery to an American address.
Possibly the US cost would need tax added, at about 8.75% (in NY, I think), which would narrow the gap to about £80. To that, we'd need to add the small cost for a UK plug adaptor or new charger, and there would no doubt be less favourable guarantee implications and the (however remote) possibility of UK customs fees.
What would be the cheapest and least risky way of buying a MacBook?
Second question - I doubt that our PC Microsoft Office 2010 would simply transfer to the Mac, so presumably that cost should be factored in. I've seen it for about £80. Is that correct, and are there any other costs she should take into account?
I think she's crazy, as she works part-time in a shop for her spending money, but one part of me thinks that if she spends so much of her own money, she'll look after it much better than the cheapo Dell that she pretty much wrecked.
0
Comments
-
Be careful buying in the US she will be liable for tax when returning to the UK. A friend bought a camera lens in the US on a visit and had to pay tax when the customs officer spotted it. They could have bought it in the UK for less than the cost plus tax.
Look at buying it through her place of study using the Mac educational discounts. Or the Mac refurbished store, these are as new with full backup. Buy an Applecare from Ebay or similar before the Macbook is a year old. Make sure it is a pack that is posted, not an online code.
Plus, does she really need the Pro? The Macbook has everything a student needs and is much cheaper.0 -
I bought my macbook when I was a student, is the price you mentioned for buying it in the UK taking into consideration the student discount you get?
Also, the student price for applecare was very cheap, I wasn't going to buy it until the sales assistant gave me the price....it was a few years ago so can't remember offhand but I want to say £30? I don't know if you could buy that here if you didn't purchase the macbook here....I don't know, so I may be taking rubbish.
Anyway, good luck on your hunt to find the best priced mac....i couldn't live without mine, will never purchase a pc laptop again!This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
Hi. First post from a long-time lurker, with a couple of questions on buying a MacBook. Sorry that it's so long.
My style-conscious student daughter wants to buy a MacBook and thinks that getting one in the US on a trip next year would be the cheapest option.
I've had a look and the MacBook Pro in the US Apple store is $1,200, or about £785, compared to £939 on UK Amazon. I'm aware that Amazon.com do it even cheaper, but she couldn't risk delivery to an American address.
Possibly the US cost would need tax added, at about 8.75% (in NY, I think), which would narrow the gap to about £80. To that, we'd need to add the small cost for a UK plug adaptor or new charger, and there would no doubt be less favourable guarantee implications and the (however remote) possibility of UK customs fees.
What would be the cheapest and least risky way of buying a MacBook?
Second question - I doubt that our PC Microsoft Office 2010 would simply transfer to the Mac, so presumably that cost should be factored in. I've seen it for about £80. Is that correct, and are there any other costs she should take into account?
I think she's crazy, as she works part-time in a shop for her spending money, but one part of me thinks that if she spends so much of her own money, she'll look after it much better than the cheapo Dell that she pretty much wrecked.
She should be able to get microsoft for mac from the student software people for half that. I know I did.
And a macbook without the pro would be absolutely fine - unless she IS a pro a simple macbook has pretty much everything needed for general useage.If you haven't got it - please don't flaunt it. TIA.0 -
She doesn't need a macbook pro, they are hideously overpriced, and overkill for a student's needs when all she will probably be doing is word processing and web browsing. A non-Apple laptop for a quarter of the price will do the same job. Just because she is "style-conscious" doesn't mean she should be burning money that she doesn't have - you'll be setting her up for a lifetime of bad spending habits.
But if she must have a macbook, it's probably better to buy it from here, she'll have difficulty getting servicing under guarantee if the macbook was bought in the US.poppy100 -
Also if you use the likes of Quidco you can get a 3% cashback and I think Best Buys (via quidco) are doing the VAT Back, not sure if it's only on selected items, but worth looking.
https://www.quidco.com
I'd agrees with the others and tell her to look at the MacBook over the Pro and as for getting in the USA I wouldn't, I bought an iPad that way with out problems but already had a UK cable etc so had no extra expense. Look at cheaper ways to buy it in the UK (discounts, cashback web sites, 0% / cashback credit cards etc) before the USA route.0 -
If she's in higher education then there is a 15% discount (ie macbook = £798)
Plus you get 12 months free applecare warranty and the option to buy 3 years warranty with a huge discount!0 -
Thanks for the replies. The reason she/I thought Pro was because it seems to have an extra 2gb RAM and it's only £37 more on Amazon, compared to £150 extra at the Apple store.
How much would either machine cost when bought through the student scheme? I see that you can only access that though official education networks, so I don't know what it would be. I'm not at all convinced the relatively few pounds saved by buying in the US is worth it.
I'll check out Quidco, as I've done well with them over the last few years, but am wary of buying something so expensive from a company I know nothing about. Amazon still seems cheapest even after the Apple 3% discount.
As for burning money she doesn't have, I've given up on that argument. I'm happy now if she buys a quality item she really likes and uses, rather than saving money on something she doesn't like and replaces more frequently. An example of that was mobile phones. I had literally years of moaning about her not having a decent phone, but since she bought a Blackberry Bold 9700 with her own money she's shut up completely and is utterly content. She doesn't even want an iphone, especially after seeing what's happened to her friends'.0 -
Buy it from BestBuy, get 15% cash back
Then she can sell it at a smaller loss when she realises its a pretty major gimmick lol
Or at least buy Windows 7 to whack on along side it0 -
Thanks chorlton. If it's 15% as an education discount, then that sounds like the best deal. I'll get her to check it out.
I suspect the Mac may indeed be a gimmick, but if she wants to waste money on it, then she has less to waste on the other overpriced nonsense she sometimes buys. She needs to learn that expensive tastes and a minimal income requires significant lifestyle compromises.0 -
Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »And a macbook without the pro would be absolutely fine - unless she IS a pro a simple macbook has pretty much everything needed for general useage.
I would argue the opposite. A Macbook pro is made of solid aluminium compared to plastic of the Macbook which has a known problem with cracking bezels when you close the lid.
I have a macbook pro and its taken all kinds of hammer but only has two light small marks on it. I've seen display macbooks at PC world which have done nothing but sit on the shelf and the lids are already scratched. I was originally going to buy a Macbook until I picked it up and felt how flimsy it was compared to the pro next to it.
Spec wise, they're on par but I know which one would survive the rigours of uni life the most.0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.4K Spending & Discounts
- 240.8K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.6K Life & Family
- 254K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards