Macbook Air – Signature9

Apple’s Black Friday Event Isn’t the Best Place Online for Mac Deals

YM Ousley — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:55:47 +0000

Special? Definitely. Best deal? Not on everything.

Lots of Mac fans were happy to hear that Apple, notorious for not discounting their products, would be getting into the spirit of Black Friday but if you’re really looking for the best deal on a Mac, your best bet may be with an Apple reseller.

First, some clarification: if you’re looking for a deal on an iPod or iPad, then the Apple store is where you want to shop. On every iPod and iPad model, the Apple Black Friday specials offer the best price. If you’re in the market for a computer though, we did the shopping around and for quite a few models, you’ll save slightly more by going with a reseller. Here’s a model by model breakdown.

Update: Apple’s Black Friday prices may have been one day only, but most of the resellers still have sale pricing available.

MacBook Pro

15-inch MacBook Pro – 2.4GHz

$1698 with free shippingÂ at Apple (all MacBook Pros can be seen at the same link)

$1660.99 with free shippingÂ at Amazon

MacBook Pro 15-inch – 2.53GHz

$1898 with free shippingÂ at Apple

$1834 with free shippingÂ at Amazon

MacBook Pro 15-inch – 2.66GHz

$2098 with free shippingÂ at Apple

$2029 with free shippingÂ at Amazon

$2043.99 with free shippingÂ at MacMall

MacBook Pro 17-inch – 2.53GHz

$2198 with free shippingÂ at Apple

$2054 with free shippingÂ at Amazon

$2094.77 with free shippingÂ at Mac Mall

MacBook Air

MacBook Air 11-inch with 64GB memory

$999 (no promotion)Â at Apple (all MacBook Airs can be seen at the same link)

$948 with free shippingÂ at Amazon

$948 with free shippingÂ at MacMall

MacBook Air 11-inch with 128GB memory

$1199 (no promotion) at Apple

$1139 at Amazon

$1139 at MacMall

iMac

On the 21.5″ iMac models, there’s promotional price parity, but on the 27″ iMac versions things get a bit more competitive. Apple’s Black Friday price on the Quad-Core 2.8GHz model is $1898 with free shipping. The same version can be found on Amazon for $1859 + $25.49 shipping ($1884.49 total) and at Mac Mall for $1894 with free shipping.

Prices on the 2.93GHz model are the same – $2098 or $2298 depending on how much memory you go for – at Apple and resellers.

Apple Finally Coming “Back To The Mac”

Shawn Ingram — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:40:15 +0000

Its been quite some time since we’ve seen anything new from Apple in terms of the Mac platform. Â The last big announcements regarding the platform (read: announcements that required events) were the unibody MacBook, the new iMac and Snow Leopard. Â Those have all been around for quite some time now. Â Most of Apple’s attention has been focused on iOS, leaving many to think that mac was on its way out, but it seems that’s not the case.

On October 20 Apple will be holding an event entitled “Back To The Mac.” Â The invitation shows an Apple logo tilting back to reveal a lion. Â It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that Mac OS 10.7 will be unveiled at the event, and it will be called Lion. Â We likely won’t hear anything about a release date for the next Mac OS X version as those releases are typically about 18 months apart. Â If Apple continues with that pattern, we can expect Lion by February 2011, though we’ll have to wait and see how far along the project is next week. {Gizmodo}

Other possible announcements include a hybrid iMac with iOS and Mac OS X. Â If not a hybrid, then an iMac with multitouch built into the next OS 10.7. Â Apple knows what it’s doing when it comes to touch, and seems to think it is the future of computing. Â That paired with the patent it was granted for what looks like an iMac that can bend to a more touch-friendly position. Â Seems like a natural thing for the iMac form factor, and one that artists, gamers, developers and those who just like touchscreens would enjoy. {CrunchGear}

The other strong rumor is a new MacBook Air. Â It seems stock is dwindling on the current MacBook Air. Â Not to mention the fact that the model feels a bit long in the tooth, it still has a mouse button that has been missing from other MacBooks for a while now. Â There are also new processors that could fit in the MacBook Air to make it a logical choice as an ultraportable again. {CrunchGear}

Other possibilites include adding in Nvidia Optimus and/or the new GeForce 400 series GPUs. Â Without getting too technical, that would mean much better and faster graphics, and better battery life through graphics handling.

What should we not expect? A new iPad or a Verizon iPhone. Â For the former, wait until early 2011, likely March or April. Â For the latter, all rumors point to a January 2011 release, and a mid-2011 refresh that will see the iPhone work on both CDMA (Verizon, Sprint) and GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) networks – taking away any international roaming advantage that AT&T currently has. {TechCrunch} Strong as the rumors may be, don’t believe it until Steve Jobs gets on stage and announces it.

The Greenest Lap Tops of 2010: In the Green

Vanessa Quirk — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:45:32 +0000

Choosing a laptop nowadays is about as easy as finding love in the big city – it’s confusing, overwhelming, and so frustrating that you eventually end up settling for whichever one seems least likely to implode.

Well, my fellow greeniacs – why not let your environmental and ethical compass guide you? Check out this guide to buying eco-friendly laptops, and refer toÂ our picks for the trendiest and greenest laptops you should be using in 2010.

Sony Vaio W, $450.

With a plastic casing made from recycled CDs, a carrying-case from old water bottles, and an exclusively digital manual, the Vaio W (premiered at CES 2010 last week) is a mini notebook with a lot of green power. The device has not only gotten high ratings from Energy Star 5.0 and EPEAT, but it also has aÂ 10.1 inch LED screen (which uses less energy than an LCD screen) and 7 hours of battery life. At $450, this may not be a lap top for the technologically inclined, but it’s definitely a great fit for a person for whom portability, durability, and eco-friendliness are key.

Read More {CNet}
Read More {Ecofriend}
Read More {Inhabitat}
Read More {Sony}

Apple’s Macbook Air, $1,499.

An oldy, but a goody. The Macbook Air may have been on the scene since 2008, but it remains one of the few high-performance, environmentally sound laptops on the market. Rated as the Greenest Ultraportable by LapTop Mag, the Macbook Air not only offers all the goodies you except from an Apple computer, but it also has environmental chops to spare. It’s energy-efficient, it’s recyclable, it’s manufacturing is almost toxin-free, and…it’s a Mac. Enough said.

Asus Bamboo Series, $999 (Rumored)

While Asus premiered a brand new, environmentally friendly laptop at CES this year… it was… well, it was hot pink.

And while we love our Barbie colors as much as the next gal, we’re still really digging the stylish sophistication and renewable natureÂ of Asus’ Bamboo Series, which has now been amped up with Intel’s latest CoreÂ i5 Â processors. Plus, randomly enough, it’s the first netbook to “have survived the unforgiving conditions of snow-capped Qomolangma Peak, which stands at a staggering height of 8,848 meters (29,028 feet).” Yup, I’m a PC and I’m made from kick-ass, snow-defeating bamboo. Take that Mac.

This one swivels. Cooooooool.

Ok, ok. Beyond its cool, swivveling netbook to tablet capabilities and an LED backlit display – this bad boy has its fair share of Eco-friendly badges of honor. Toshiba came in as the #3 Greenest Electronic Company of 2009 (according to Green Peace’s Rankings) – and the Portege is one of the companies eco-friendliest (reaching EPEAT’s Gold Standard). If you’re looking for the greenest tablet of the land – or just one which sounds more like a briefcase than a computer – look no further than the PortÃ©gÃ©.

Read More {Toshiba}
Read More {GreenPeace}