5 Ways to Save Money on a Mac

So you've made the decision to Buy a Mac and are looking to get the most value for your dollars?  It's tough out there, and every little bit helps.  We've put together 5 ways to save money on a Mac.

AMagill

Apple Store for Education

Apple offers a great discount on Desktops, Mac Mini, Laptops, Display's, and Software (Hardware quantity is limited to 1 per year) while the Display and Software discount is limited to 2 per year.

Provided you are a U.S. citizen, an employee of any K-12 school, a school board member or an officer of the PTA, or PTO.

Staff or student of a Higher Education institution, or the Parent purchasing a Computer on behalf of their child who is also a student.  Here's a handy tool to Find your School


Online Savings

Additional savings can be realized by shopping online, which allows you to avoid paying sales taxes on your purchases, along with free shipping. looking to buy a MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, or iMac? Save, and have it shipped directly to your door.


Rebates

The link below will send you to a free website which after joining; will allow you to select the Apple Online Store from a list, (from over 1200 stores listed) and earn cash back--as well as offering featured coupons, and deals of the week Signup Here


Build-a-Mac

Another way to save is to consider buying RAM elswhere when configuring your Mac at the Apple Online Store.  RAM can often be found much cheaper at other stores, and is easy to install. Also consider shopping around for additional Hard Drives, as they can be found cheaply as well.


Refurbished and Clearance Macs

Apple also has a Store selling refurbished, and clearance Macs for sale with a 1 year warranty which have been tested, and certified by Apple.  Significant savings can be found here, but supplies are limited; so the need to act fast when you spot a great deal.

Apple Refurbished Mac Store

Apple Clearance Store


There you go! 5 ways to save money on a Mac.  Did you find a great deal and saved money using these tips, or have some of your own? leave a comment.

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Apple's IPad - Buy it Now, or Wait for the New Version, iPad 2? Rumors, Specs, and News

Apple is nearing the beginning of it's upgrade cycle, and release date, for the sleek new iPad 2, as with the iPhone 4, rumors and news, are swirling thick and fast about when the new Pad will be released, and what the major features will be.

The questions on the minds of most current iPad owners, as well as potential new users are: to buy now, or to wait? So what seems to be the consensus about the Specs on the iPad 2?:

• Faster processor - Apple's fast A4 Chip seems all but certain to get an upgrade, and some sources are suggesting the possibility of a duel-core chip, on some models.

• Better Display - The screen on the current iPad is plenty sharp, but there's always room for improvement, and with Apple making bulk purchases of iPad component's we could see even higher screen resolution in next-gen devices.

• More RAM – This is almost a given, considering how far memory prices have dropped over the last few years. Increasing the amount of memory would make for a far snappier iPad 2, without a bump in price.

• Advanced GPU – With the advent of Game Center on iPad, with the release of iOS 4.2, now would be a great time to improve the Graphics chip for better gaming performance across the board.

With these possible advances, the new iPad looks to be a compelling product upgrade for current owners of the device. However to answer the “buy now, or wait?” question brings on this answer: if you need and iPad RIGHT-NOW, by all means get it. But if you can wait just a bit more, you may end up getting much more of a Tablet for your money, and the current Pad may even receive a price reduction.

MacToTheFuture Verdict: If you need it, BUY NOW, but if you can, WAIT for the new iPad 2

What do you think? do you plan on buying the iPad 2? leave a response in the comments.

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Mac Mini Upgrade - How to Replace the RAM in the Apple Mac Mini

The Mac Mini is an amazing computer, and you can make it even better with the installation of more Memory. installing more RAM will allow your computer to multi-task better and will result in a snappier system overall. here is a short video tutorial which is easy, and quick. While this video shows the Server version of the Mini, this will also work on the Regular Mac Mini:

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