Need help with Macbook specs

[poggy]

Hi all I've been looking at getting a Macbook for a while now, I went into the Apple store in Glasgow to have a look and the only downside to the Macbook that i could see was the weight of it, a tad too heavy for a portable laptop imo but i still want one.

So i have 2ish choices:

I can get one second hand from ebay or a refurbishment from Apple
Or
I'm going to the states in June so i could pick one up then but the only thing i don't understand about the US macbooks is would i have to pay (not VAT but tax) tax?

I've seen a few on ebay that a not too bad price wise but the spec is a 2ghz core 2 duo and 2gb mem (max i think) just wondering if that would be powerful enough?

I think i'm looking at maybe £500-£600 on ebay or i could get the top spec Macbook for £755 (black one) from the states.

Has anyone bought a Mac from ebay, good experience? or equaly has anyone bought a US macbook from the US apple store, did you have to pay tax?

Thanks for any responses
Stephen

 

[poggy]

Hi itsallaboutyou thanks for the quick reply, I've done a tad more research and i think in the US and in some states there is TAX to be added on to item like we have VAT here, i think it's like 7% or something like that.

I'm just trying to keep the cost down, i like the black Macbook because it's easier to keep clean as in the white on will go yellow over time on the inside due to sweat and what not.

I could prob pick up the top spec white one in the Us for around £700 including any TAX, not bad as the entry level one here is £699.

Has the black MacBook been out for a few revisions? Like has it been out in some form for a few years?

Cheers
Stephen

 

[poggy]

Great thanks for the info mate

 

[poggy]

The BlackBook has been out for awhile since MacBooks - they are somewhat cooler than the WhiteBooks in terms of looks but most Purist thinks it's un-Mac like... as long as you like it

One thing to note; I had my White MB for over a year before selling it on (for a decent price too via eBay) you must note that I had nearly 0 discolouration. I do clean the MacBook bi-monthly with a quick wipe over with a LCD wet wipe.

The Black book will show up more "prints and marks" than the White one, thus require more cleaning overall - pop to the local Apple store, look at the Blackbook and the White MB, notice how many oily finger prints on it?

And in the states, different state have different tax rate, some is as low as 4% afaik. So where abouts are you going? 7% is NYC iirc.

I'm going to Vegas and i think it's quite high in Nevada

 

[poggy]

cheers dude

 

[poggy]

Hi LordSplodge to me they are, compared to my works laptop it is. The Macbooks look like they should be light but i don't think they are that light, just my opinion though.

 

[poggy]

What laptop do you have at work then? I find my MacBook to be quite light and portable. Then again I have the entry level model and it is just full of air!

Hi LordSplodge, I've got a Toshiba Satellite Pro in work, it's heavy, prob not as heavy as the MacBook ( I may have over exaggerated there) but I still think it should be lighter.

It doesn't really matter anyway as I'm still getting one.