Back-to-school laptop deals you can't miss
If you're a student in need of a new laptop, now is the time to buy. Here is a back-to-school guide for getting the best price on the laptop that's right for you.
An Acer Aspire laptop, left, and a Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Touch are seen at a demo table at a Microsoft event in San Francisco.
Jeff Chiu/AP/File
It's hard to believe, but the time has come to pack up your beach bags and bust out the backpack. If you're a student in need of a new laptop, now is the time to buy. With help from our tech editors, David and Michael,听we put together this back-to-school guide for getting the best price on the laptop that's right for you.
Apple is offering聽free Beats headphones with select Mac purchases.
Yes, Apple computers are top of the line, but they're also very expensive. Unless your school or program specifies that you NEED one, you're probably going to be just fine opting for a cheaper brand that gives you access to the internet and a decent word processing program. That being said, there are ways to get deals on Apple products if you've got your heart set on the latest MacBook.
, but right now, they're聽sweetening the pot by offering聽.
The Beats offer ends 9/5, but if you're not in need of a new pair of headphones, another way to get great deals on an Apple laptop is by buying refurbished. We covered this聽in great detail a few months back in our blog post,听, so check that out if you want more information on why buying refurbished is just as good as buying brand new from Apple. Basically, they back their refurbs with the聽same one-year extendable warranty they give new products.聽.
Don't discount third-party retailers who sell Apple products.
Yes,听buying direct from the Apple store (or the Apple Refurb store)聽is the only way to get access to the Apple warranty and the Apple Geniuses themselves, but if you're looking for actual discounts on Apple products, don't discount third-party retailers like B&H Photo, who offer best-of-web pricing on MacBooks every day.
Tech聽editor David called out B&H specifically聽:
"Any time聽we post a great deal on a TV or laptop from a large retailer like聽辞谤听, it usually sells really well.聽Yet聽if we post an even better deal on a similar item from a smaller reputable dealer like聽, it's typically not as popular. We suspect this has something to do with聽name recognition, maybe some shoppers聽think only well-known retailers can聽provide truly good discounts? This is not the case at all!
In fact, of the several small tech dealers that we write about, like聽,听,听听补苍诲听, run great deals on聽some of the best聽tech items on the market. These are deals with lowest prices you will find online, and many of them offer free shipping and don't charge sales tax in most states because they have a smaller physical footprint. Plus, they are all authorized retailers, which is important when it comes to tech, because you want to make sure your warranties聽will be honored."
One major deal on B&H Photo right now?!听!
PC laptops聽are the best bang for the average college student's buck.
They might not be as fancy as that shiny new MacBook, but聽unless you're running programs like the Adobe Suites, doing a lot of video editing, or are enrolled in a program that specifically calls out the need to have a Mac, a Windows computer聽is a perfectly acceptable, half-price alternative!
聽offers a year-round promotion for college students, that cuts $150 off select laptops and computers. This promotion applies to both Macs and PCs, and is also available on sale items as well.聽!
, and finally, here's a roundup of all the laptop deals we currently have live on Brad's Deals:
- 聽-- Use code聽BRADS50聽at Dell Refurbished
- 聽-- $899 at the Microsoft Store
- 聽-- $700 at Dell
- 聽-- $130 at Best Buy
- 聽-- $250 at Staples
- 聽-- $399 at Newegg's Official eBay Store
This story originally appeared on .