The life of an Apple devotee is one void of extra cash. Every trip inside an Apple Store is an endless struggle to keep our finite finances on a leash, or we risk going bankrupt trying to quench our thirst for sleek aluminum and glass gadgets. If you find yourself browsing Apple gear anytime soon, look to one of these 5 tips to save a bit of cash on your inevitable purchase—and stay in the black for good.
1. Buy Refurbished
Apple has a reputation for quality gear, and that extends to their refurbs, too. Shop Apple's online Refurbished and Clearance store to snag great deals on newly repaired and inspected Mac products (You'll also get a one-year warranty!).
2. Buy Previous Generations
As soon as the shiny, new iPad is announced, demand for the older model drops faster than a hoochie at a Snoop Dogg concert. If you're willing to buy a months-old model, either from somebody who's upgrading or the Apple store itself, you'll snag a huge discount.
3. Upgrade Elsewhere
Looking to upgrade the memory or storage space of your new laptop? Don't ask Apple to do it. Instead, buy your device from Apple's stock, then hit up a retailer that sells Apple-compatible upgrades. If you buy RAM from NewEgg.com and install it yourself, you could save hundreds of dollars instantly.
4. Use an ".edu" Email Address
You probably know Apple gives discounts to students, but did you know all you need is an ".edu" email address? If you still have access to your university email inbox (some colleges even offer alumni the chance to snag a current ".edu" address), you can shop online at Apple.com's Education Store. You'll get 10 percent off on everything, plus occasional offers like free printers, iPods or App Store credits.
5. Don't Shop the Apple Store at All
Shop through an authorized Apple retailer instead of buying from Apple itself. A store like MacMall offers small discounts over Apple.com retail prices, plus full benefits like price-matching, return rights and the same in-store warranties you'd get from the Apple Store.
(Images: Flickr member substrata studio licensed for use under Creative Commons, Flickr member nabekor licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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Comments (10)
Some corporations also offer Apple discounts if you are an employee.
as per beng,
Check if your company or someone you know has Employee Purchasing Plan. Once you get the link to shop, they don't check for online purchases. Discount pricing is varied, and unpredictable. You usually save about 10% on most merchandise. In store EPP is even harder to find the discount, because they don't tell you what it is until check out, and it usually isn't as good as the online discount. Also in store you have to show employee ID.
You can usually click through Apple's Education site and find a link to the education store. They take you on your work that you are an educator or student.
Of all words to mis-type, you had to choose "education" :)
At least you didn't recommend outright fraud (or at least lying) in your Educational discount like many other blogs do...
It IS fraud, since the terms you agree to when making the purchase make it abundantly clear that you either need to be currently employed by, enrolled at, or accepted to a university in order to have the benefits of the discount. The .edu address merely represents (or misrepresents, in this case) your claim to be a student.
People who game the system ruin it for the students who actually need the discount. Or did no one else stop to wonder why Apple switched a year or two ago to offering flat discounts that weren't as good as the old blanket 10% student discounts on everything that had been in place since at least the 90s?
Demonstrate some integrity.
6. Don't buy Apple products.
Alchon, I think the post means to use your legally obtained .edu email address, it doesn't say make one up. Sure it suggests that alumni can obtain one a .edu but it does skirt the line.
Sam I Am, HA! I think that's just about impossible now.
Education discounts vary too. Most items DO NOT come with a discount. Laptops are 10% while they offer no discounts on ipads. Go figure.
Education discounts on computers is not a 10% off discount it is just a flat dollar amount ranging from $100 to $250 off...
HOOCHIE.
For the love of God...
I would be wary of #2. I love my Apple products, but Apple drops support for "old" products pretty quickly. So the last gen ipod you bought might only get updates for 2 years at most. I have a 1st gen iPod touch that still works but is no longer supported by Apple. Without security updates, email and purchasing aren't feasible. So, it's still a nice music player, and I still play Cut the Rope, but it has lost a lot of functionality.