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Mac Musings
Finding the Best Online Software Deals
Dan Knight - 2003.07.11 - Tip Jar
Value is a way of life at Low End Mac, so I'm always looking for a deal.
When I bought my eMac, I researched the various models available, compared the price of new and refurbished hardware, and finally found the deal I wanted at the Apple Store. I got exactly what I wanted, a 700 MHz eMac with a Combo drive, for exactly the price I wanted to pay, US$749 shipped.
When I bought a 512 MB upgrade for my eMac, I want to ramseeker to find the best price including shipping. Then I compared what I found to recent deals on dealmac. I ended up buying from Coast to Coast (18004memory.com).
So when it came time to order a 10 client upgrade for Retrospect, I did my homework. I first went to Google and typed "best price software" as my search words. From there I followed one link after another looking for the best prices. I checked the first two pages of listings, including some of the sponsored links.
Some sites didn't list Retrospect upgrades at all, and several that listed some didn't list the 10 user package. I ended up printing out the findings from four of the 10-12 sites I visited.
BizRate.com
First up on Google was BizRate, which had a good search engine - and then asked for my zip code so it could calculate the total cost including shipping and sales tax (where applicable) once I chose the upgrade package I wanted.
Of 13 stores listed, the price for the 10 user Retrospect upgrade to version 5.0 ranged from $77.03 to $109.00 before shipping. Four of 13 stores didn't allow BizRate to calculate shipping, so I ignored them. (Looking at the printout now, I see that these stores didn't have low-end prices to begin with.)
The best deal was $83.86 delivered from Page Computer.
MySimon and Shopper (from c|net) didn't list the package I wanted.
DealTime
I next found prices on the DealTime website. DealTime listed five dealers with the 10 client upgrade. Base prices ranged from $77.43 to $99.95. Using my zip code, DealTime displayed shipped prices from all five dealers. These ranged from $84.94 to $105.55.
The best deal was $84.94 shipped from Etech Warehouse.
PriceGrabber didn't grab prices on the software I sought.
PriceScan.com
The next site with prices for the Retrospect client upgrade was PriceScan, which found prices from five dealers. Base prices ranged from $77.03 at TheNerds.net to $90.95 at Computers4Sure.com (where do they come up with these names?).
PriceScan included shipping costs for two of the five dealers, but it did not include them in the displayed price, making a full comparison between the dealers impossible.
NexTag
I followed a sponsored link to NexTag, which had prices from five dealers. The lowest price for the software was $77.98, and the lowest shipped price was $91.17. Only one of the five dealers listed didn't show shipping costs.
On the second Google page, I checked out Price.com, but no luck finding the specific package I wanted.
Amazon.com
The world's biggest bookstore, Amazon.com, has a sponsored link. I followed it, searched for "Retrospect upgrade," and found what I wanted, although it wasn't displayed on the first page of results (which only showed three - what's up with that?).
I didn't find the lowest product cost at Amazon, but because of their free super saver shipping, I did find the lowest delivered cost for a 10 user Retrospect upgrade to version 5.0. Instead of paying $91.17, $84.94, or even $83.86, I was able to order the software for just $82.99.
It may not ship for a week, and it may take 5-9 business days after that to reach me (how can anyone be that slow?), but I got the best deal.
I also checked dealmac, of course, but couldn't find any current deals on Retrospect upgrades there.
Conclusions
It's incredible how much prices varied on the software package, from $77.03 to $109. And it's also fascinating how much different the various price tracking sites were. BizRate found a lot more dealers than any of the other sites (13 vs. 4 or 5), and it found the best prices (with and without shipping) of any of the price trackers.
After all that research, it's odd to discover the best deal at Amazon.com, which none of the price trackers included in their lists. Then again, it's also nice to find the best deal from a company that we've had a relationship with for years and years.
We've found the best price, got the software on order, and look forward to it arriving next week. And now I'll be able to back up all the Macs on our network again.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Mac Musings
- No High Definition iTunes Video for You, 11.19. The October 2008 MacBooks are preventing users from viewing some high-def iTunes content from being viewed on their external displays. Poor form!
- Anticipating Macworld: Nehalem, Snow Leopard, and Updated Desktops, 11.18. Intel's Core i7 CPU has to make it way into the next Mac Pro, nVidia GeForce graphics will drive the iMac and Mac mini, and 'Snow Tiger' will unleash the animal within.
- One Used Mac Can Make a Difference, 11.12. Instead of scrapping out old Macs for raw materials, what if the Mac community worked to restore them and give them away to those with no computers?
- A Brief History of Portable Computing: From Dynabook to Netbooks, 11.06. 40 years ago Alan Kay dreamt of a two pound handheld computer. Portables have made a lot of changes since 1981, but haven't yet matched the Dynabook.
- More in the Mac Musings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 14" iBook G3/600 MHz, Jan. 2002 - The first 14" iBook ran at a comfortable 600 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac OS 9 List covers Mac OS 9 as both a freestanding OS and as Classic mode in OS X.
- December 1 in LEM history: 99: Monitor dot pitch - 00: Macs for new users - Everybody wants to use iMacs - Career options - 03: Pfinder: Panther-like Finder for legacy Macs - 04: Why I use an eMac, iBook, and Power Mac - ThinkFree Office - MacLink Plus 15 - 05: PowerBook 190 still a great laptop - Eudora, the Mac's most powerful email client - 06: Core 2 'Books cooler and faster
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- The Very Best Macs: Sometimes Apple Just Nails It, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.01. Apple has produced lots of good Macs, a few dogs, and some 'best of breed' models that stand apart from the pack.
- Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
- Will Snow Leopard Support Some PowerPC Macs?, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 11.26. It just doesn't make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won't support Macs sold less than three years ago.
- From Ubuntu to OS X, Picking the Right Mac, an Aluminum Mouse Pad, and More, Mac News Review, 11.26. Also changes in Apple culture, OWC rebates on Hitachi drives, Clone X clones OS X, and LaCie SilverKeeper updated for OS X 10.5.5.
- Apple Retail Will Break Records This Christmas, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 11.26. "Despite all the economic problems, Apple Retail can look forward to another successful quarter with sales maybe breaking through $2 billion...."
- iPhone 2.2 Software Update Released and Jailbroken, Advent Calendars for Your iPhone, and More, iNews Review, 11.26. Also making Street View work on the iPod touch, BlackBerry Storm questions answered, Microsoft's forthcoming phone, eco-friendly cases, and more.
- MacBook Slowdown without Battery, DisplayLink and DRM, 256 GB SSD, MagSafe Solutions, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.26. Also Mac netbook prospects, laptop cooling table with 2 fans, solar notebook bag, hard shell cases for unibody 'Books, bargain 'Books from $500 to $2,299, and more.
- Old Macs in the New Economy, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.25. "We are the kings of making our computers last, last, and last some more."
- Virtualization Shootout: VirtualBox 2 vs. VMWare Fusion 2, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 11.25. VirtualBox is aimed at a different audience than Fusion and Parallels. While it works well, the typical desktop user will probably prefer Fusion.
- Software to Keep Your MacBook Cool, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 11.25. Heat is the enemy of long hardware life. Two programs to keep your MacBook running cooler.
- Another Way to Run WeatherBug, Aspire One Runs OS X, 17" MacBook Pro Hi-res Display, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.25. Also finding that 'just right' notebook computer, car, or truck.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best iPod nano Deals, 12.01. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $105; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $115; 3G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $174. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.01. Used 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $481/C$599 plus shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01. Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
- Best MacBook Deals, 11.26. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
- Best iPod touch Deals, 11.26. Used 1G/8 GB, $160; refurb, $179; new, $198; used 16, $200; refurb, $219; refurb 32, $319; new, $340; 2G/8 GB, $219; 16, $289; 32, $379.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 11.26. Used 1.6 GHz single, $450; 1.8, $499; dual, $600, 2.0, $800; 2.3, $816; dual-core, $1,000; 2.5 dual, $1,000; 2.7, $1,050; 2.5 Quad, $1,400.
- Best MacBook Deals, 11.26. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $660; refurb 2.1 GHz, $949; 2.4, $999; black, $1,099; new 2.1, $869 after rebate; 2.4, $1,150 a/r; black, $1,194 a/r; more.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 11.25. Used 1.42 GHz G4 Combo, $429; 1.66 GHz Core Duo, $449; 1.83, SuperDrive $629; new 1.83 Core 2 Combo, $570 shipped; 2.0 SD, $760 shipped.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.25. Used 1.67 GHz SuperDrive, $539; hi-res, $800. Shipping additional.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.25. Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $281; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
- More deals in our archive.
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