I am in the market for a new 2014 Macbook Air 11" with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. If I purchase the unit on the official on-line Apple site I can qualify for a special education discount which effectively gives me a 1.5% discount in price - not much but something. If I purchase at a Apple authorized reseller I assume I can apply to have the VAT refunded but am unsure what % of a rebate that provides. Does anyone know? Couple of other questions if I may.

1. Do Apple Resellers have the latest operating system installed or would I need to simply update the software

2. What power plug comes with the machine? Is it configured for the local market meaning I would need to purchase a adapter or a new power cord.

Thank you for your help!

Purchasing online is safe and you get it without any problems. And yes, you qualify for the discount.

However, I bought my Mac Air 11", 256gig, 4 gig ram, back in July. PM me if you want it. (Private message).

You get a dual language keyboard and the power plug comes with 3 different plugs that are interchangeable, to answer your other questions. Once Yosemite is out, it should come with that OS already installed.

The only potential disadvantage to buying online is the extra couple of days of waiting. So long as you use the Thai Apple store (store.apple.com/th) you'll have the option of a English or dual language keyboard, and you'll get a power adaptor that plugs in here. You'll also get Yosemite (latest OS X).

If you buy from a local shop, it's very possible you might get stock that still has Mavericks installed, as Yosemite was only released last Friday TH time - and upgrading to Yosemite will cost you 5.3GB of bandwidth and about an hour of install time.

@Somtamnifaction: Yosemite is available now.

I do not think Apple online will give you the VAT refund paperwork...

The wall wart is standard and has the ability to swap out different plug types... These can be purchased at any computer market for 1-200 baht...

Also if you order from Apple online watch there is a drop down menu that will allow you to select the language of the keyboard...

Edited October 22, 201411 yr by sfokevin

It depends where you are located, perhaps in BKK or CM the stores may have in stock, in out lying areas the stores sometimes bring in a shipment once a month... so it can be a longer wait than having it shipped direct from Apple... (not a problem as already mentioned...^)

As for the plug, on my Mac Air it is 3 prong, with round pins.... which does fit multipurpose extension cord or USB (but not a wall plug) ... oddly enough on Mac mini only two prongs...

Yosemite as stated takes about an hour to down load not a big deal, if not installed.... I did the two yesterday!

Just to add VAT refund would not apply if OP lives in Thailand. The education price, if I remember is 7% so same as VAT ... not many questions asked about doing that ....

Tracking is good when ordered direct, it does get held up on week ends though...

Edited October 22, 201411 yr by samuijimmy

I updated my mac to Yosemite. Nice update. But it took me 2 days to download it from Phuket TOT. Sigh...

All working great. But I do need to sell it.