School’s Back--so Are PC Rebates

If you still haven’t bought that new back-to-school computer system, the wait may have paid off. This is the season for back-to-school rebates, and computer manufacturers and software publishers alike have jumped right in. Here’s a sampling of the savings, although your best bet is to determine what you want to purchase, check with the various manufacturers for available rebates, and then compare results.

For starters, Compaq ([800] 888-3224; https://www.compaq.com) is pushing its “Choose a Champion” rebate program, which is available through Sept. 29. Under this plan, anyone buying a complete Compaq home system--a Presario PC, monitor and one of the new Compaq color inkjet printers--can qualify for a mail-in rebate of up to $100.

Buyers can get an additional $100 from Compaq by signing up for a free trial of Compaq Easy Internet Access by Dec. 31. The offer includes 50 free hours over a 45-day period, up to two hours per day. After the trial, the service is $19.95 per month.

Speaking of the Internet, Apple Computer’s recently released iMac (the ‘i’ stands for Internet), a complete system for $1,299, has been a notable success so far ([800] 538-9696; https://www.apple.com). Apple has teamed with Microsoft on a $100 rebate, direct from Microsoft, with the purchase of an iMac with Microsoft Office. You must, however, purchase both Office and the iMac before the end of the year and mail in the coupon within 60 days of the purchase. In lieu of the cash rebate, students and faculty can opt to receive a free copy of Microsoft’s Encarta 98 Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition for the Mac or Bookshelf 98 for the Mac for the cost of shipping and handling plus sales tax. For more information, call Microsoft at (800) 426-9400 or visit https://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/imacpromo.htm.

Microsoft is also offering savings totaling $225 for customers upgrading hardware (e.g., to the new Intellimouse Pro) or software (e.g., to the latest version of Encarta). You can find a complete listing as well as print-out mail-in coupons at https://www.microsoft.com/magazine/rebate/default.htm.

Students may be interested in this offer: Through the end of September, IBM is giving a $300 rebate for its Thinkpad 380 notebook computer ([800] 426-7235 ext. 4340; https://www.ibm.com). But the offer is for back-to-schoolers only. To receive the rebate, you have to prove that you’re either a student or member of the staff or faculty at a qualified educational institution.

Budget-conscious students might want to consider Dell Computer’s new student lease program ([800] 388-8542; https://www.dell.com). This plan enables a student to get into the latest computer technology with no upfront money or payments for 30 days. Lease terms of 24 or 36 months are available for all Dimension and OptiPlex desktops, and Inspirion and Latitude notebooks, as well as Dell peripherals.

At the end of the lease term, the student can purchase the system outright, trade up for a newer model or return the equipment. The lease can be put in Mom or Dad’s name if the student doesn’t qualify for credit.

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Like Dell, Gateway ([800] 846-2000; https://www.gateway2k.com) isn’t running any rebate offers, but the company did recently introduce its “back to college” G6-350 configuration with lease terms similar to Dell’s. The system includes a 350-MHz Pentium II processor, 19” color monitor, an 8-MB AGP graphics card with a 12-MB 3Dfx Voodoo2 3-D accelerator, a 5-GB hard drive, a 56K modem, a TV/FM tuner card and a DVD-ROM drive--just about everything a college student needs except the pizza--for $2,483.

Hewlett-Packard ([800] 752-0900; https://www.hp.com) also has a back-to-school rebate program. Purchase of an HP Pavilion PC before Sept. 30, will qualify buyers for a rebate of $30 to $150, depending on what other HP peripherals they buy. One interesting component of the offer: With the purchase of a Deskjet 720C printer, buyers will qualify for a $50 rebate regardless of the brand of personal computer and monitor.

Through Sept. 15, Packard Bell ([800] 288-8671; https://www.packardbell.com) is offering a $150 rebate on many of its desktop systems as well as several NEC desktops and notebooks. But there’s a catch. To qualify for the rebate, you have to sign up for America Online by Oct. 15, and use the AOL service for six months at regular AOL prices. If you have no interest in AOL or you’re already an AOL user, you’re out of luck. The non-AOL crowd can qualify for a mere $50 rebate by purchasing a complete Packard Bell system (computer and monitor) plus a Lexmark 1100 color printer before Sept. 15, 1998.

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For more modest computing needs, Texas Instruments ([800] 336-5236; https://www.ti.com/calc/docs/calchome.html)is offering a back-to-school rebate on its TI-92 graphing calculator. It includes a 128x240 pixel display, so you can really see what you’re calculating. If you buy before Oct. 15, you can choose from a $25 cash rebate, a cable package that links your TI-92 to your Mac or Windows personal computer, a $40 discount on a more complete linking package, or a $40 discount on the price of the TI-92 Plus upgrade package.

This is just a sampling of what’s available in rebates and special offers. Some rebate coupons are available in retail stores, and many manufacturers post rebate coupons on their home page. If you’re not online, you can still tap into the savings by either calling the manufacturer or visiting your local retail store.

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Kim Komando is a TV host, syndicated talk radio host and author. You can visit her on the Internet at https://www.komando.com or e-mail her at komando@komando.com. Her national talk radio program can be heard on Saturdays from 7 to 9 a.m. on 97.1 KLSX-FM.