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I decided it was time to retire my almost ancient computing duo
(540c and 7200/90)
from my main tasks and go buy a new
iBook.
Why? Well, first of all, the prices have dropped since the 14.1"
iBook came out. The other reason was just that it was time for
something new. It was time to go to X. This article is part of an
ongoing series (since I'm supposed to be receiving the iBook later
today) sharing some of the things I learn and some thoughts to other
new Mac buyers.
Research
I wanted to see where I could get the best price. Sure, the
catalogs had deals of free printers and RAM, and Circuit City was
clearing out the May 2001 models, but I decided that I would order
direct.
Ordering
After having some "fun" experiences with Amazon,
I decided that ordering over the phone would be the best method. I
called Apple on Saturday, February 16, and placed an order.
I decided on the iBook with the 12.1" screen. I bought the model
with the CD-RW/DVD combo drive and upgraded
the RAM to 384 MB. Right off the bat, I got a $50 discount from Apple
since I was affiliated with an educational organization. I also added
the various video cables and a Zip drive to my order. Ground shipping
was free (via FedEx), and I was told my order would go out in about a
week.
Waiting
Let's just say that I waited for quite some time, checking the
status of my iBook on Apple's site, waited some more, read reviews of
iBook accessories, and waited some more.
I also called Palm right after I ordered the iBook and ordered a
USB adapter to allow my serial Palm Vx to
connect to the new iBook. That came on that Thursday.
Hooray?
I got a confirmation email from Apple saying that my iBook had
been sent late Monday (2/25) night, and there were three tracking
numbers for FedEx Ground. The first two were for the cables and Zip
drive, and the third was for the iBook itself. The three packages sat
in Sacramento for a day before making their way across the
country.
On the tracking Web site, the estimated delivery was last Saturday
(3/2). Since we had bad weather, I gave FedEx the benefit of the
doubt and waited some more. After all, it had registered in Chicago
and left on Friday, so I was guessing that it would get here soon
(Chicago is only about 2 hours from my house on a good traffic
day).
Monday rolled around. No dice. Apparently the delivery date had
been moved back to today. I called FedEx and was just curious what
was the holdup (a 2 hour distance turning into 2 days - not counting
Sunday). They were very helpful and said that it will most likely be
delivered today, but they'd run a trace to see if anything happened
(there were a few glitches on the tracking site).
Skipping Back
Well, I decided on Saturday that I'd go out and get a printer. I
looked around at the various stores (Walmart,
Sam's Club, Staples, Circuit City, Best Buy, Office Max, Office
Depot, etc.). I read some reviews on inkjet printers and noticed
that the Epson C60 and C80 were well-liked, as well as
Hewlett-Packard's offerings.
There was an Epson C60 for $79 (after rebate) and an HP for $70.
Both had the same resolution, same priced ink cartridges (retail),
and were identical in almost every way. I liked the Epson's design a
little better (and it was quieter), so I decided to spend the extra
$9.
Right now, it's sitting where my ImageWriter II sat ready to
connect to the "digital hub."
Apple Store
Of course, I could've gone to the Schaumburg, IL (near Chicago)
Apple Store and bought an iBook, but then I wouldn't have gotten the
school discount. I also would have to pay for the gas to drive there
(more than 2 hours, since traffic is not pretty), and would have to
pay the Illinois sales tax (7%) as opposed to Indiana sales tax
(5%).
Overall, I'm pretty happy (although rather bored from waiting)
with the whole experience so far. Let's hope I get a box later
today....
Mac of the Day: iMac Core2, Sep. 2006 - Apple introduced the biggest screen ever in an iMac with a 24" Core2 Duo model at 2.16 GHz.
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upgraded
the RAM to 384 MB. Right off the bat, I got a $50 discount from Apple
since I was affiliated with an educational organization. I also added
the various video cables and a Zip drive to my order. Ground shipping
was free (via FedEx), and I was told my order would go out in about a
week.
