Apple Customer Service- just blew my mind!

[ponyo]

That is also a super-crazy sale price. It is normally $700 (not counting the $100 for the SSD). That being said, I guess it is possible to find Win machines at that price, but they are few and far between.

MotionMan

It's been offered several times at that price. I was tempted to buy it the past Sunday but I didn't want to pay sales tax and I really didn't need another notebook. There's no way that laptop could sell for $700. Windows side is cut throat and you can get lot of laptop for $400-500.

I like Macbooks but as bucks for bang guy, I can't justify the cost premium. I also prefer Windows OS to OSX.

 

[Toasthead]

No, opinions are fine. But you did the same tired argument. "Price 3x compared to similar Windows notebook". It wasn't needed and could have been phrased in a much less inflammatory manner.

and wrong.

 

[ponyo]

One tiny problem, the laptop you linked to is 11.6 inches , I purchased a 13.3 inch MacBook Air. It's got a bigger screen, it's i5 core cpu & weighs the same as the computer you've linked to & I didn't need to install an SSD drive on it.

Screen size I can understand. I'm sure there are 13.3" Win laptops but I'm not interested in searching just for this discussion. i5 and SSD, you're nitpicking. You're not going to notice the difference between i3 and i5 for normal use. SSD installation is trivial. Personally I wouldn't even bother with the SSD and just use the 320gb drive and save $100. But I can see the appeal of SSD and the option is there if you want it.

I'm not saying the machine is MacAir. It's not but it's a good machine for $350. Find me $350 Mac laptop. Ok then.

 

[ponyo]

What I find incredible is that original Apple Care price was $298. For $50 more you could buy the Windows laptop.

 

[Geekbabe]

Screen size I can understand. I'm sure there are 13.3" Win laptops but I'm not interested in searching just for this discussion. i5 and SSD, you're nitpicking. You're not going to notice the difference between i3 and i5 for normal use. SSD installation is trivial. Personally I wouldn't even bother with the SSD and just use the 320gb drive and save $100. But I can see the appeal of SSD and the option is there if you want it.

I'm not saying the machine is MacAir. It's not but it's a good machine for $350. Find me $350 Mac laptop. Ok then.

If I wanted to purchase a low dollar solution that didn't meet my screen size requirements & came with a slower CPU and without an SSD drive I would have done so. I didn't want your "good machine" I wanted a 13.3 inch system that was ultra light weight that came with at least an i5 CPU & an SSD drive.

 

[Geekbabe]

What I find incredible is that original Apple Care price was $298. For $50 more you could buy the Windows laptop.

but I didn't want the 11.6 inch Windows laptop, I wanted an UltraBook like system, you are not comparing the same things.

 

[MagickMan]

Sometimes value has nothing to do with a rock-bottom price. The Air is a good value, but it isn't "cheap".

 

[ponyo]

but I didn't want the 11.6 inch Windows laptop, I wanted an UltraBook like system, you are not comparing the same things.

I didn't say you did. You wanted and bought 13" MacBook Air. You're happy with the purchase. And that's what matters. I just mentioned the other laptop since people said $400 similar laptop didn't exist or was impossible.

 

[alent1234]

and there is no $400 similar laptop. MBA is as thick as a pencil and a lot of people want that

 

[Geekbabe]

I didn't say you did. You wanted and bought 13" MacBook Air. You're happy with the purchase. And that's what matters. I just mentioned the other laptop since people said $400 similar laptop didn't exist or was impossible.

If I'd purchased an 11.6 Air with 2GB of ram & 64GB SSD you'd have had a case but the system you've linked to would not have satisfied my requirements. The 11.6 inch screen size is a deal breaker, no SSD drive, slower CPU and the fact that it weighs as much as my 13 inch Air would make it a total non-starter.

I looked at Samsung Series 9( nice machines) Asus Zenbook ( lots of reviews mentioning cheap feeling keyboard & lousy track pad) both of these computers cost more than the Air.

 

[Geekbabe]

Sometimes value has nothing to do with a rock-bottom price. The Air is a good value, but it isn't "cheap".

Thank you for putting my feelings into words! This wasn't a "cheap" system, yes I could have bought a cheaper windows system but I wanted an ultra light, fast mobile system, I'm tired of lugging a heavy laptop around.

The computer itself is beautiful, the build quality is top notch, the "value" comes into play because I know now without a doubt that should I have an issue that I can expect, fast, pleasant customer service from Apple. After years of dealing with OEM's that I can barely understand on the phone, sitting on hold for hours etc, this is peace of mind that I value enough to pay for.

 

[ponyo]

Never said Air wasn't "good value". I already said Windows equal would cost the same or more in my first reply. You don't need to justify your purchase to me. I'm not trying to sell you Windows laptop. We all have our preference and my preference is cheap and on the Windows side as I like Win7 over OSX. As mentioned I'm bang for buck guy and definitely not a dash stroker.

 

[Geekbabe]

Never said Air wasn't "good value". I already said Windows equal would cost the same or more in my first reply. You don't need to justify your purchase to me. I'm not trying to sell you Windows laptop. We all have our preference and my preference is cheap and on the Windows side as I like Win7 over OSX. As mentioned I'm bang for buck guy and definitely not a dash stroker.

Ok, since this thread was created specifically in the Apple Forum & solely to praise Apple customer service for giving me a really nice Xmas gift, what exactly was the purpose of your posts? Aside from pointing out to me that i could have bought a Windows computer cheaper? How is that on topic ?

 

[ponyo]

Ok, since this thread was created specifically in the Apple Forum & solely to praise Apple customer service for giving me a really nice Xmas gift, what exactly was the purpose of your posts? Aside from pointing out to me that i could have bought a Windows computer cheaper? How is that on topic ?

This thread was already off topic and discussing $400 laptop before my posts. I merely joined that discussion. But I agree it's not on topic and there's nothing more for me to say.

 

[MrX8503]

Screen size I can understand. I'm sure there are 13.3" Win laptops but I'm not interested in searching just for this discussion. i5 and SSD, you're nitpicking. You're not going to notice the difference between i3 and i5 for normal use. SSD installation is trivial. Personally I wouldn't even bother with the SSD and just use the 320gb drive and save $100. But I can see the appeal of SSD and the option is there if you want it.

I'm not saying the machine is MacAir. It's not but it's a good machine for $350. Find me $350 Mac laptop. Ok then.

If you're trying to make a legitimate comparison, what you prefer doesn't apply. If you're saying that its not the MacAir, then I don't understand the purpose of the comparison. The machine its a great value in its own right, I'd leave it at that.

 

[MotionMan]

Please go find me an aluminum bodied Windows laptop that weighs 2.8 pounds with 4 GB ram & a 128GB SSD drive for $400 and then we can talk.

And OILFIELDTRASH remains silent.

MotionMan

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I did my homework before getting the Air, regardless of what I paid for it, Apple was under zero obligation to give me a $298 warranty plan for free, I'm totally delighted with them & no thread troll can take that feeling away from me.

I'm glad you're happy, and it's cool they would do such a thing, but the only reason they did it is because extended warranties don't cost them much. They sell you on the idea that, oh noes, if it breaks after the MFGer warranty expires it will be expensive to fix, which is true for laptops, because the vendor (ie apple) controls the parts. But in reality, the parts don't cost them much at all. This is why computer mfgers have wised up and started offering extended warranties. They know the percentage of failure and determine that it's a money maker to offer extended warranties on things that don't break that often.

Now if the Apple care covers physical damage, then it's a killer deal. Just drop it in the bathtub the day before the extended warranty expires and get a new laptop

 

[Geekbabe]

I'm glad you're happy, and it's cool they would do such a thing, but the only reason they did it is because extended warranties don't cost them much. They sell you on the idea that, oh noes, if it breaks after the MFGer warranty expires it will be expensive to fix, which is true for laptops, because the vendor (ie apple) controls the parts. But in reality, the parts don't cost them much at all. This is why computer mfgers have wised up and started offering extended warranties. They know the percentage of failure and determine that it's a money maker to offer extended warranties on things that don't break that often.

Now if the Apple care covers physical damage, then it's a killer deal. Just drop it in the bathtub the day before the extended warranty expires and get a new laptop

All I know is that if I have a logic board or screen that goes south on me in 18 months I'll be glad I have Apple Care. Also, I tend to be on a fast upgrade path, when I go to resell this to help finance my next system having Apple Care on it will increase the system's attractiveness to potential buyers.

In any case it's $298 that can stay in my wallet, lol, saved for an ipad3

 

[Geekbabe]

And OILFIELDTRASH remains silent.

MotionMan

He's probably struggling under the weight of all those $400 laptops he's found

 

[runawayprisoner]

Screen size I can understand. I'm sure there are 13.3" Win laptops but I'm not interested in searching just for this discussion. i5 and SSD, you're nitpicking. You're not going to notice the difference between i3 and i5 for normal use. SSD installation is trivial. Personally I wouldn't even bother with the SSD and just use the 320gb drive and save $100. But I can see the appeal of SSD and the option is there if you want it.

I'm not saying the machine is MacAir. It's not but it's a good machine for $350. Find me $350 Mac laptop. Ok then.

Actually, with regards to Sandy Bridge, the difference between an i5 and an i3 is quite... noticeable.

The ULV i5 used in the Macbook Air 13" 2011 model supports Turbo Boost, and can go up to 2.7GHz from the stock 1.7GHz clock speed, effectively giving it a 60% performance boost per core. At stock clock, the i5 is already 30% faster than the i3 2357M used in the Samsung Series 3. After Turbo Boost, it can be up to >100% faster. May be not so necessary for text editing and such, but I can definitely testify that it'll help with Adobe Flash and web browsing in general as web pages use more advanced animations and JavaScript. Also not to imply anything, but 1.3GHz would feel limiting... very fast. Try to open a dozen tabs in Firefox and you'll see what I mean.

Also, the i3 lacks VT-d, so should you choose to run a VM in the future, as is the case with Mac because sometimes there is an essential Windows program that you need to access for work, then the i5 would be the better choice.

Not to continue the comparison, but just to say... you're trading off quite a bit of performance. The 2011 Mac Air is as much of a consumer bargain as I can see after so many years of yearning for a sub-$1000 ultra thin computer.

Honestly, I was drooling at the Vaio TZ back ages ago... and now Apple is offering something that is a lot more powerful and durable at a fraction of the price.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I've posted before berating apple support, but I have to go back on what my thoughts are: Was walking with my iPad 2 through my apartment, had the smart cover on it. Stumbled on something lying on the floor, the smart cover detached, ipad went flying, hit the ground hard...the screen lived, but there's a dent right where the lock switch is - the switch no longer moves.

Took it in, didn't lie or try to hide it, explained what happened. Somewhere between "Wow, you own a lot of Apple stuff" and "Your ipad is 30 days old" the response was turned from "tough luck" to "We're ordering you a refurbished unit at no cost."

Go Apple support. Genius bar employees++. As for the salesman who was making fun of me to a coworker while I was in ear shot...had I not been waiting on a genius bar employee and hoping they'd replace the iPad, I would have called a manager out to complain. (I walked in to my appointment 5 minutes late. The already cancelled it. Holiday driving took my drive from 15 minutes to 50. I almost went ballistic, and instead just got angry along the lines of "Every time I come into an Apple store I have to wait forever, sometimes as long as 45 minutes. So I show up 5 minutes late, when you're likely RUNNING 5 MINUTES LATE and you cancel my appointment?")

Anyway, Apple support++. Apple salesman need to be a little more professional.

 

[MotionMan]

I wonder what a Genius would do if I brought this in for repair.



MotionMan

 

[bearxor]

God it's always terrible. I typically show up to my appointments 10 minutes early or so and always end up waiting at lest 30 past my scheduled time.

I've posted before berating apple support, but I have to go back on what my thoughts are: Was walking with my iPad 2 through my apartment, had the smart cover on it. Stumbled on something lying on the floor, the smart cover detached, ipad went flying, hit the ground hard...the screen lived, but there's a dent right where the lock switch is - the switch no longer moves.

Took it in, didn't lie or try to hide it, explained what happened. Somewhere between "Wow, you own a lot of Apple stuff" and "Your ipad is 30 days old" the response was turned from "tough luck" to "We're ordering you a refurbished unit at no cost."

Go Apple support. Genius bar employees++. As for the salesman who was making fun of me to a coworker while I was in ear shot...had I not been waiting on a genius bar employee and hoping they'd replace the iPad, I would have called a manager out to complain. (I walked in to my appointment 5 minutes late. The already cancelled it. Holiday driving took my drive from 15 minutes to 50. I almost went ballistic, and instead just got angry along the lines of "Every time I come into an Apple store I have to wait forever, sometimes as long as 45 minutes. So I show up 5 minutes late, when you're likely RUNNING 5 MINUTES LATE and you cancel my appointment?")

Anyway, Apple support++. Apple salesman need to be a little more professional.

 

[silverpig]

I did my homework before getting the Air, regardless of what I paid for it, Apple was under zero obligation to give me a $298 warranty plan for free, I'm totally delighted with them & no thread troll can take that feeling away from me.

Well, not all your homework if you didn't realize you could get AppleCare later

 

[Geekbabe]

Well, not all your homework if you didn't realize you could get AppleCare later

LOL, True but that's because I was soo busy checking specs I'm really pleased with this computer it's so light & quiet