Jumping Ship

Now that the buzz over the iPhone has died down, (after some 750,000 units sold) I have started making some hardware purchases towards my future mac. I started with a router, the Apple Airport Express, for my new apartment this coming fall. I’ll admit, my networking skills are not what they should be (I hear you snickering), and it seems that even the “foolproof” wireless configurations that many laptops and routers are bundled with these days give me trouble. After reading a large number of reviews on the APX, it seems that the majority of people are very satisfied with them, and especially liked its ability to stream iTunes music to any stereo wirelessly via the router’s built in Airtunes feature. What really sold it for me was the ability to create “profiles” for wireless surfing abroad, such as in a hotel room that doesn’t natively have wireless. The downside? Many of the reviewers complained of the router literally burning out about after about a year and a half or so. While I wonder if these people just decide to post their reviews to vent their discontent with the product, the sheer number of complaints did have me wondering. I’ll be sure to post updates along the way when I receive it and set it up.

Ok, so here’s the real reason you’re reading this post: how to score that sweet mac hardware discount. Some disclaimers: first, the discount will cost you initially: $99 for a one-year subscription (this is explained further down the post), second, this only applies for currently enrolled students, which as far as I know, means college students and those enrolled in a university, whatever gets you an ID. Third, it only works once, lifetime; you can’t take another trip to the candy store, so make your purchase count if you can use it. And lastly, you’ll have to fill out a bit of paperwork and fax it to Apple to prove your student status, which really shouldn’t take too long.

Still with me? Good. The discount comes through the Apple Developer Connection, or ADC. The discount is good for 20% off any major hardware purchase through a special subsite of the Apple store. I tried it out on some Macbook Pro configurations that I am looking into, and you basically are able to purchase the next configuration higher at the same price as the one you are looking at. For Wisconsin (and most other university) students, it’s an additional $200 off the student discount for the base Macbook Pro that Apple gives you through their education store. But what’s that you say? You want more for your trouble? Well, the ADC discount has that covered too. In addition to the discount you also get current versions of OSX and Xcode (because it is a developer subscription after all) mailed to you for the year duration of your membership. What does this mean for you? It means that you will score a free copy of Leopard (the next version of OSX) when it comes out this fall. All in all, it’s a really good deal for what you pay for, especially for those of you like me who need to buy hardware soon and can’t wait for the Leopard release. I just purchased the membership today, and I’ll keep you posted on how it works.