Buying a Mac for Christmas

The holiday season approaching, and with them the traditional gifts. Whether you want a Mac to provide a loved one ... or yourself, here are some tracks. It is all general advice and our favorite heart to guide you, not quick fixes that apply to all - hunting gifts would be less funny if not.

A Mac with less than 800 €? 

If your maximum budget is less than € 800, quite clear limits are needed.
One new machine from Apple is below this threshold, the Mac mini, the first model is € 599, € 799 for the second ... We have repeatedly stated our preference for the base model: it does Although no dedicated graphics card, but it is less expensive to buy and can be easily inflated thereafter - more RAM, more hard drive or a second or more. A procurement strategy that can allow deferred to save money, this machine can also serve post office that media-center.Si you absolutely need a Mac laptop, but your budget is tight, you will have away from the nine. The MacBook Pro was renewed a few months ago now, but it is always possible to find models to legacy discount for some retailers, for stocks often emerged at Christmas. The refurb from Apple, which offers refurbished Mac, is another place to look: there is the MacBook Air 11 "and MacBook Air 13" last year around the € 800 mark.

Still below, it will get the next opportunity, for example in ads by MacGeneration. You can make your choice this time loosely based on your criteria (ultraportable machine? Versatile machine? Mac Pro to put four drives?) - This is the age that will set the discount and so the final price. But beware: it is better perhaps not to buy a Mac PowerPC machines that are clearly ancient history, and be wary of ads that sound too good to be true, especially at this période.800 to € 1200, the ideal budget.

The range of budget you gain a Mac is around € 1 000, between € 800 and € 1 200: it provides access to much of the range of nine or by using the full range of other jurisdictions. If you are looking primarily mobility, you will naturally to the MacBook Air: models 11 "fit perfectly in this budget, the first model 13" is just over the. The opportunity to mention other Apple Store, which allows obtaining small kickbacks. If you are over 18 years and are a student in an institution of higher education (university or school) or are teaching or personal in higher education, you can use the Apple Store for Education in France, Belgium or Switzerland. This shop opens the special right to a reduction of around 6%, or € 36 on the first Mac mini, € 57 on the MacBook Air 11 "or 70 € on the entry-level iMac.
 

If your school or university is part of the Apple on Campus, you can access a private shop to purchase Mac and accessories with a discount of 12-15%. The list of partner institutions is available on the Apple site and it will then connect to your intranet to access the shop. If you are a student in Paris, but your institution is not part of Apple on Campus, think of the store Imagine R, accessible to all subscribers to the card transport: it offers a discount certainly less Apple on Campus, but more interesting than the store education.

The few dollars here and there, on shops education for students, on the refurb for others, allow a little fancier. MacBook Air for example, we strongly recommend that the two basic configurations: the 13 "as (€ 1,249), 11" with 2 GB of RAM and more (€ 1,049). These models have the best performance-prix.800 to € 1 200, it is also the range in which we find the first MacBook Pro or iMac first if you are looking for versatility in mobile as fixed station. It is nevertheless difficult to recommend these entry-level configurations, including price-performance ratio is not very good. Again, get the side of refurb or use your cuts to reach the mid-range model from last year, nothing wrong with that, or the current mid-range model.

More than € 1 200

With more than € 1,200, you may have fewer tariff issues, but you will be asking you about the details of choice - you have access to all such range. You can hesitate between the two MacBook Pro models 13. "Our answer is clear: forget both. The first model (€ 1149), it was said, not good value for money performance. If you are looking for a versatile option but economic-fold you on the same model in the range Core i5 "early 2011" with the refurb or used it is not much less powerful but will be much cheaper. If you are a student, your discount passes to a model acceptable price. Model 13 "Core i7 (€ 1,449), which is one of the most unbalanced engine ever offered by Apple: it is certainly powerful, but very hot and the battery life is pretty damn down. The 15 "is considerably more expensive, but € 1 749 requested by Apple provide access to a real Rolls computer. 

The equivalent of the office, iMac 27", offered at least € 1 649, is also one of the very best machines available on the market. In short, it is hard to go wrong on these two segments, but again, feel free to play with your cuts or get up early to search the refurb: the few dollars saved will allow you to offer accessories and upgrades. The opportunity to remind one last tip: never buy your options at Apple. Hard drives, SSD and RAM are available from the Apple Store at crazy prices. Better to buy them from other dealers, as required by comparing prices online. Buy two strips of 4 GB for a 2011 iMac comes to 40 €. One option charged € 200 by Apple. Same for the SSD. There are 256 GB of good invoice for € 365. This option instead of a hard drive often costs more than € 500 at the Apple Store. When it comes to hard drives, see your purchases: prices have risen sharply due to the current shortage.