How to Buy a Mac

I recently bought a new Macbook Pro and while waiting at the store, I overheard in the span of thirty minutes, four customers who walked into the shop, ready to buy a new PC themselves but completely clueless as to what they were buying. I was intrigued because the four customers who all walked out with a brand new PC in their hands, came from varying backgrounds, an international student, a dame of fifty years and a few office suits after work. There wasn't any other identifiable similar factor.

But, I could empathize with them. Back home, my mother had been looking for a new PC herself and how many times my poor father had to stop her at the shops because he realized she didn't really know what she wanted. She just knew she wanted one and when she'd come over, she'd lament how she wanted to buy a PC for herself and how come I just bought one straight up and she shouldn't. So, I shared with the eight steps to buying a new PC and I'm sharing them with you too. The steps outline how to buy a Mac but they just as easily apply to buying a Windows-based PC.

Decide the Operation System
The most common choice is between a Mac and a Windows-based PC. It can be as simple as whichever OS you are familiar with, or as thoughtful as considering the shelf-life and therefore total turnover cost of the unit, the ease of use which includes the learning curve, customer support available, software packages you need and its aesthetics. If you are really indecisive about which operating system, take consolation that there is a choice out there that will let you run both Windows and Mac OS.

Set your budget
So many people I know head out to shops to make purchases without a budget and end up spending more than they wanted to because they weren't sure how much they really wanted to spend. Like anything else you buy, determining a budget and sticking to it means that you'll hold your guns when the salesperson tries to sell you more stuff that you really want.

I had a hard time prioritizing which was a more important step between a budget and OS when writing this because I know sometimes a tight budget is the first determiner in making choices. You can set your budget and then determine what you want from there, or determine what you want and buy it when you have saved.

One more word on budget and choices when it comes to Macs. At first glance, Mac's are pricier than their Windows-based counterparts and it is on that factor that many people make their choices. Windows-based PCs have an average shelf life of about 2-3 years after which using it is a practice in the virtue of patience and perseverance. I only got to that stage with my iBook G4 after 5 years and in that time, my folks have gone through 2 Windows-units and endless heartache with viruses, hardware issues and endless incompatibility issues in wireless networks. In the long run, using slightly more expensive but longer lasting units saves more money than frequent changes of lower-priced units.

At what processor speed?
Now that we have those issues sorted, here is where some technical knowledge can help you go farther in your purchases. Unless you are an avid gamer or your work involves intensive graphics rendering, there is really no need to get the top of line processor other than for vanity's sake. Most of us will need enough processor speed for watching movies, playing media files and perhaps some Office productivity applications. This is to say, if you're having to choose between anything between the 2.18GHz MacBook to the 3.06GHz MacBook Pro, rest assured that the lowest common denominator will still serve you satisfactorily and middle-of-the-park is probably more power than most of us need. If you're going to spend money for more speed, up your RAM instead. $300 just didn't justify the difference between the 2.54GHz and 2.66GHz for speed I didn't need.

My screen is bigger than yours...
My previous iBook G4 was a 12" baby that I took all over the world with me for music, Internet and work purposes. Since then, I've picked up a smart phone and from there, I can access the internet and get my data which I save in the cloud so I portability size isn't a priority for me. If you already have something small to squint at when you need to access your information online, do yourself a favor and go big on the screen, your eyes will thank you for it. On the other hand, if the smart phone screens are too frustrating for you, then go with a smaller screen size so you can take your pc wherever you go. I eventually went with the 15" because it was bigger than my previous one but not too big for me to trek around the world with and suddenly, I see so much more on my page.

Space for everything
Two things need to be considered here, if you are getting a laptop and want a smaller footprint on your table, then opt for a bigger hard disk space or go the way of the cloud. This is less of an issue with desktop models but the reason I've left this lower down in the priority because local hard-disk space is something easily expanded with the array of external drives available. If you work with a lot of media files that you need at your fingertips, go with a bigger hard drive so you have it on your computer all the time. However, if you're like me and you have a space designated for the kind of work you need, you don't need all that space. At work, its mostly office documents that don't take up a lot of space so I save it on my desktop. In my home office is where I do most of my stuff with media and graphics so I save it on an external hard disk drive that I've linked to my home server. That way, if I'm really desperate, I can still access my files from my server outside the home office.

Date of Release
It may be nice to know you were one of the first few to get your hands on the latest gadget, but it quickly becomes old fast anyway. Very soon, the latest gadget will have populated and there'll be a newer one out anyway. Plus, first generation gadgets users are really guinea pigs for the market. Instead of latest, go for stability instead. By the second and third generation, the makers would have ironed out the kinks and made it even more user friendly. On the other hand, you don't want to get something that is dated. The makers would have been planning for a new release soon. Your dollar could go much further with technological advancement. For that reason, I waited till the second-generation of unibody Mac's before I took the plunge.

Score a deal
Yes you can. Even though Macs are a fixed price item, there are still good deals you can wrangle from authorized resellers. When buying this Mac, I had options for a rebate on an iTouch, $200 off for third-party Mac Products, discounts on peripherals and interest-free installments. I walked away from the shop with a Tucano WorkOut sling bag, a Moshi Palm & Track pad Guard and an Exo keyboard cover for nothing and a LaCie mini Hard Drive & Hub, all for $40.

Consider also buying a refurbished unit from Apple Online as well. They certify the refurbished computers and those come with the same standard warranties that apply to brand new units.

There, seven things to consider when buying a Mac. Because, buying one is like an investment and like all investments, you should do your research. These are just some guidelines to help you make a better decision the next time you're thinking your next Mac.