Apple Education Discount-Last Call->Warranty?

I'm considering my first MBP (vs. a less expensive, better specced HP elitebook) & noticed the website mentioned Last Call for Apple education discount pricing, at what time frame do they stop that offer?

I may be taking a few classes this summer but I've been told that Apple does not require academic documentation anyway & people have used this discount even after they finish their semester, is this true that essentially anyone could click on this discount online & does it affect their warranty?

BTW, the HP elitebook also comes with a 3 yr warranty standard, is the 1 yr Apple warranty enough or would you suggest paying extra for the AppleCare Protection Plan?

-Thanks

 

buying extra warranty all comes down to gambling... take a chance on it lasting.. or pay some money to not take a chance... totally up to you to decide

You have to meet the requirements that Apple lists to get an Educational discount. Talking about getting it against Apple's rules I believe would be against the forum rules here. When you try to get in the educational store, you'll have to choose your school, and read the requirements.

there is no Last Call.. thats an ad to graduating seniors.. meaning its their last chance to use the discount before they are out of school.

 

Thanks doh123, I did some more searching & found all their U.S. Education Individuals terms listed at:

Apple Sales and Refunds Policy

I'll be going to the store to evaluate whether it's worth the price premium over the better specced elitebook since the refresh (before the refresh when I was at the store I could not justify the price premium).

I do wish Apple would back their Pro lines like others with a 3 yr warranty however so it would be a non-issue...

 

"better" is subjective.

If the elitebook is "better" speced for your uses, then it might be a better buy... what machine is better than another depends on the user of the machine, there isn't some absolute answer that will be the same for everyone.

 

I agree that a user experience is highly subjective but numbers-benchmarks are designed to measure performance in a more objective method. (e.g. all other factors being equal USB 3.0 >has more potential performance than USB 2.0)

I'd appreciate feedback (objective & subjective ) on my posts at:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...refreshes-macbook-pro-line-discussion-37.html

-Thanks

 

While numbers based benchmarks are more objective, it doesn't give the answers to what is best. The importance of those benchmarks, and which are better or worse depends on the user.

Example: If you need tons of raw CPU power, something scoring high in the benchmarks might be best for you... while someone who needs a low power chip because battery life is more important than raw speed, might have a better CPU choice. A slower CPU could actually be a better choice... This could be applied to hundreds of aspects of the computer... so "best" highly depends on the user.

Really look at the machines and gauge what you need to do and what the computer can do, and make sure its really a better machine. Just because something scores higher/quicker in benchmarks, doesn't mean "better"

 

credit cards (some or all?) add an extra year to your warranty.

keep that in mind.

 

I am not a warranty man myself as I like to mod and fix stuff, but I bought it b/c as opposed to my other computer I wanted this to be more maintenance free and the BIGGEST reason is the battery, within the next 3 years I will have the battery replaced, whether I lose 2 hrs or 2 mins I am getting my monies worth.

If you call and make an appt they can replace it in like an hour.
Also having the applecare people to talk to with Windows, pages, garage band, etc this makes it worth it.

For my 13 I paid just north of $183, which is a couple bucks more than a new batt.
Finally should something go wrong, your good...

 

From:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-hp-elitebook-8540w-8740w-vs-macbookpros.html

In fairness I would like to do much more video-audio-html-editing than CAD work..but I would like a versatile, multimedia (yet anti-glare) 3D capable mobile machine (that will be usable-last 3-5 yrs)..

 

yawn.

any of these machines will work 3-5 years from now. did you think it would magically not run current apps at that point?

it won't be a matter of whether one system or another can run the apps you're interested in...it'll simply be a question of how long it will take. IMO, none of the computers you buy today will be wonderful in 2015. simple logic should tell you that. they'll all be similarly subpar and you'll be looking to get out of them and into new computers.

get the computer you want. you're not doing anything that either system can't do. if you don't need the battery life, don't get a Mac.

 

I've heard but I'd like to hear from people who have utilized their cc extended warranty in practice on a MBP, how's it handled etc..?

Hope you got some sleep ajreynol If it becomes too unuseful for me in 3-5 yrs my relatives/nephews & nieces would still enjoy them, lifecycle planning to keep it out of a landfill..

The HP elitebook does have more future-proof ports. While Apple does market itself green, I feel many of their choices are based on improving their product cycles over lifecycle value for users.

Battery life will need to be accurately evaluated but do you all think that's the only advantage for the MBP?

 

further insight: » Get A Free Extended Warranty By Purchasing With A Credit Card

I think that the MBP's differentiating factor is battery life, design quality, and after-sale support.

And I think the workstation's biggest differentiating factor is price/performance.

Neither machine will struggle to do video work, photo editing, or anything of the sort anytime soon. Either computer will be a welcome hand-me-down gift to family. My only point is that come 2014/2015, you'll be ready for a new computer, no matter how "future proof" what you're thinking about buying today appears to be.

Think back to 2006. What was "high end, future proof" back then? The first generation of Core 2 Duo processors and the last gen of Core Duo processors. 4GB Ram, Max. GeForce Go 7900 GTS was probably the best GPU rational money would buy.

In 2010, that computer (or even lower spec'd computers) run all of today's games and apps. Just a question of how many settings you may have to dial back to get ideal framerates. But there are no programs that simply don't work anymore, you know?

Even still...you understand that in 2010, you can buy a laptop with a vastly superior feature set, a better display (laptop display technology gets better every year), better connectability, and a generally better experience. Perhaps OLED or some other vastly superior display tech will be the new $2,000+ object of desire. Perhaps laptops will be even thinner and lighter. Perhaps 500% more powerful than today. Perhaps 3D displays standard (without glasses!). Perhaps Intel's "LightPeak" technology will supersede USB 3.0 or kill it completely. Perhaps BD drives and blank media will cost a fraction of today's price and BD writers hit the 16x mark. maybe screen resolution crosses into the 2056x1588 realm. Perhaps battery life begins to average 23 hours.

Point is, 2014 will most likely see you looking at the computer you bought in 2010 and looking to get something else, so get what you need based on your biggest priorities today and tomorrow and worry less about 2014, as there's no such thing as a "future proof" laptop. If you don't need long battery life (never away from a plug for long or don't desire to be) the Workstations will give you max bang for the buck. Great screen, memory capacity, CPU and GPU power to spare. If you DO need battery life, a workstation won't cut it without adding significant weight to the package. In that case, the MBP is the ideal balance of i5/i7 power, battery life, and a GPU that will do everything you need it to do aside from hardcore gaming at high resolutions. But even then, it will be quite serviceable by all accounts that I've read here.

As one who is in the same boat as you (looking at the Envy 17 and 8740w), I feel very confident in this analysis at this point. I've been going back and forth since February waiting for refreshes and evaluating the pro's and con's of all options.

Final thought: you will find that the MBP beats out similarly-spec'd (and higher spec'd) WinLaptops in most benchmarks. Never assume that the laptop with the higher hardware specs must be the fastest laptop in the group.

Hope this helps.

 

Moosez, that's an interesting thought. I am now in the process of buying one myself; now I've seen 3 year Apple Care for about 100$ on ebay. Do you think that would work? And do you think that the wear and tear of battery is included? i.e. that you get your replacement in this simple manner?