[babajazz]

order the 15 inch on line? is there an advantage to dealing with apple on line? Initially I planned on ordering it through the local mac dealer. Thanks for your reply.

[AssassyN]

If you're debating on whether to buy it from a store locally or online, I'd say either. Either way you'll be paying sales tax, and there's no disadvantage of ordering online. The only reason I'd get one in a store over online is if the store has them NOW, AND, you don't plan on getting any BTO options.

[Luca Rescigno]

There are pros and cons to ordering at the Apple online store.

Pros:
- Can use educational discount if you qualify ($200-$300 off PowerBooks!)
- BTO options are available, like a larger hard drive. You should get the largest possible, and downgrade the RAM as much as possible so you can buy it from Crucial which is just as good and much cheaper.
- Apple has an excellent online ordering system and they have free shipping

Cons:
- They charge you sales tax, which can add a huge amount to the price.
- They usually don't bundle much in the way of upgrades with the machines. If you buy from a regular Mac reseller, like MacWarehouse, you can usually get 128 or 256 MB of RAM for free. They force you to buy their $30 installation fee, but it's worth a try to ask them to waive it so you can install it yourself. My dad did this and they didn't charge him, but they installed it anyway.

So, if you don't qualify for an educational discount and you don't want any BTO options, try ordering from an online mail-order place so you get extra stuff. Usually they also give you a carrying case as well, not just RAM.

[waxcrash]

I've ordered my Apple gear online from a store that has no sales tax and offers free shipping. I've had success with outpost.com .