Torley's experience buying a new Mac mini from PowerMax

I recently wrote an article for leading personal finance blog Wise Bread about the new Mac minis, and how I felt that some of the Apple BTO upgrades are overpriced. I still do, but shortly after posting it, I hunted around online, and remembered PowerMax. While my desired config wasn't listed on their site, I spoke to Michelle Ryther on the phone, who was extremely friendly and gave me a quote for $818 on:

• Mac mini 2.26GHz with
• 4GB of RAM (installed by them)
• 120GB hard drive

That compares to $899 at Apple's site — a $81 savings. Shipping was free and since they're in Oregon and I'm in Washington, I saved on sales tax too, which would've been $75 from Apple. So in total, $156 savings which I can use to buy an impressive external hard drive or other necessary gear. My priority was to get up-and-running at a reasonable cost without having to crack out a putty knife.

Only ordering hitch I ran into was the day I ordered (March 6), I understand it was quite busy and I didn't promptly receive the form I needed to sign. Basically, it stated "I am placing an order for a non-cancellable customize-to-order computer". I reminded Michelle, who apologized, and we were on our way.

A window of "up to 10 business days" was next: Apple stated they needed 3-5 days to mail the custom config (since the processor was upped to 2.26Ghz), then a few more days' shipping time to get it delivered to PowerMax so PowerMax could do the RAM installation (instead of Apple's bloated cost). Ground shipping took a day via UPS, which I was really happy with, and it arrived yesterday.

Bundle of joy

My new Mac mini arrived in great condition. Packing was superb and the white Mac mini box fit well instead the egg carton-texture side-holder-things used to keep it from wobbling around. The PowerMax folks did an incredible job making it look like they hadn't touched the Mac mini at all, for when I opened the box and unwrapped the layers, all the protective plastic film was still intact. No distinct wrinkles or awkward adhesive overlaps. I wonder how they did it!

Within minutes, I had my cute Mac mini hooked up to my HDTV and ready to be my new media center and other esoteric purposes. In true Mac fashion, I didn't have to pain myself with unnecessary details. Beyond the raw dollar value, I always consider how lovely the experience is. One hindrance: I couldn't get Migration Assistant to work with transferring data from my MacBook Pro, but I decided I'd be better off starting fresh. Aside from tapping into my home's wifi and copying over a few essentials.

Misc.: despite the instructions in "Pairing your Apple Remote with your computer", I had to press Menu + Play/Pause (not Next/Fast-forward) for it to work. Don't know why, but thought it was worth mentioning. (The Mac mini doesn't have a remote, it came from my MacBook Pro.)

Choose wisely

I like to play the field and evaluate my options, so in addition to PowerMax, I originally contacted a number of other retailers like MacMall. MacMall didn't have the options I was looking for in stock and I was disappointed that their front page advertised "In stock" but the actual product page listed "Call us". I called them too, but got someone who sounded very cardboard-cutout and unpassionate on the line. You know how much that turns me off, I love personality, not for its own sake, but how that stimulates quality customer service and creativity.

As of this writing, MacMall has the 2.26GHz/4GB/320GB option for $1,044, which is only $30 less than Apple's. A Wise Bread reader noted ExperCom has a 500GB drive option, but their 2.26GHz/4GB/320GB is $999. It'll be interesting to see how Mac mini prices fluctuate, as shown in places like MacPrices (which doesn't list PowerMax).

Out of the available info I had at the time, I'm pleased with my purchase.

Little touches matter

When I got the PowerMax shipment notification, it included a fun email, and I hope this doesn't ruin your surprise if you decide to order from them too, but it was so good, I had to share it:

If you're not overly familiar with Oregon, or Oregonians in particular, here are some thoughts to ponder as you wait for your goodies.

Some people refer to Oregonians as tree huggers. It's true, most of us love our trees, and in fact are willing to put up with all the rain just so we can keep lovin' 'em. We also call all our beaches simply: The Coast. We like to think of it as one long sandbox. When we feel a little too harried, we just go down to the coast, crack open a bottle of one our famous Northwest microbrews, and sit in the rain watching the waves. Even if you don't live near our coast, if you start to get antsy about when your package is going to arrive, just picture sitting on that beach, imagining the pounding of the waves and the sounds of nature (your buddy's belch from the beer doesn't count), and soon everything's gonna be all right.

We sincerely thank you for your business… and if you don't have a tree around to hug, find someone you love!

First time I've ever seen something like that ordering a computer, and these company values are also reflected in CEO Kevin Anderson's recent post. Thanx Michelle and PowerMax!

Now, onwards to great things with you, Mac mini.