Author Archives: Patrick Rhone

Best places to buy Mac stuff online (IMHO)

I am always being asked where to find good deals on Macintosh stuff. There are many places I look and shop. Often times the reasons are not just in the prices but also in the company. Some of these sites I visit on a daily basis whether I am looking to by stuff or not; figuring that if I do see a really good deal I may be able to match it up with a friend’s need. So, with that in mind, here are some places I go to find good deals on Macintosh stuff on the internet.

Apple Store “Special Deals” Section – This is where Apple sells their refurbished products often times for hundreds of dollar less than brand new. Why buy refurbished instead of new? Well, Apple does very rigorous testing on the refurbished models to make sure that they don’t come back again. Furthermore, all Apple refurbs carry the same warranty that a brand new Apple product does. Therefore, if you do have a problem, it is covered.

Small Dog Electronics – I really like these guys and have bought two Macs from them. They are a small, family run business located in the heart of small town Vermont. They are big on charitable and social causes and, as the name might suggest, are HUGE dog lovers! They are also one of the oldest online Macintosh retailers around. Their front page features daily deals and ongoing specials.

DealMac – DealMac does the work of searching Mac deals for you. Every day they scour the web for deals and specials on Macs and Mac accessories. This is one of those sites I visit a couple of times a day. Why twice? Well, some deals are so good that if you do not catch them early in the morning (when the first deals start being posted) they will be sold out by afternoon. They also have a sister site called DealRAM which helps you find the best prices on RAM

PowerMax – PowerMax is a great place to look for refurbished and used Macs. If the Apple Store does not have the Mac you are looking for in their refurbished offerings, this is a good second place to check. They also buy used Macs as well and accept certain trade ins for credit towards new equipment.

More Moleskine

Yesterday, I waxed all poetic on the desire to dump my PDA for a number of tasks and “upgrade” to the Moleskine Pocket Journal I recently purchased while in San Francisco for Macworld. I have now become obsessed with that idea and just may try it for the whole of next week. I have already dug my Moleskine out of a paper bag it had gotten dumped into in one of the mad cleaning frenzies that I frequently perform around the house (or, as I like to think of them, a redistribution of clutter).

I also have been doing some googling (yes, Annie, it is a verb) on the “Cult of Moleskine”. I found a great blog called 43 Folders with a number of posts of ways to use it:

More Moleskine Hacks

H2G2 on the Moleskine

Jeremy Wagstaff’s Moleskine Remainders

And for the whole shebang of thier articles that talk about the Moleskine (yes, they are a little obsessed):

43 Folders: Moleskine Notebooks

No PDA for the PDA

Apartment Therapy has a article on replacing your PDA with a paper planner… Now here is a novel idea. One that I have considered for a long time but have been to scared to do. Actually replace my buggy, digitizer orientation challenged Palm Tungsten T2 and go back to using a nice, portable paper planner. When I think about the things that I honestly use my Palm for, many of them would be just as easy on a piece of paper in a well bound and pocket sized journal. To Do’s and other list type items for instance, which I more often write in the “note pad” of the Palm just like a paper entry anyway.

I am especially fond of the Moleskine Ruled Pocket Journal which I recently purchased. Problem is, I still have not really used it because I have not “made” a use for it. Perhaps, if I were to rid myself of the broken crutch that is my Palm I would.