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American Morning
Minding Your Business: Cheap Computer Deals, What to Look For
Aired August 28, 2003 - 07:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Just in time for back to school, great computer deals apparently are everywhere right now. How do you get the best deal, though?
Andy Serwer is off this week. Gerri Willis is not. She's not gone far. She's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Good morning to both of you.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) deals out there. Tell us where.
WILLIS: Oh, yes. And the prices are coming down. Such good news for parents here. Laptops as low as 799 right now. Now, for that, you're not going to get the fancy schmancy (ph) G-4 weighing in at three pounds. You're going to get something a little bigger, a little heavier. They will be 6 to 8 pounds, 14 to 15 inch screens, but it's perfect for kids who are going back to school. You can see there a list of some of the names that are out there at those prices. And the -- not just the laptop is coming down in price, also those personal computers that you're going to sit on your desk as well.
HEMMER: Got it. If you're going to shop, what do you consider?
WILLIS: No. 1, you've got to know how you're going to use the thing. People typically overbuy with PCs. They, you know, buy everything under the sun. Are you going to burn CDs, or are you just surfing the Web and getting e-mail? Make sure you understand that. Are you going to travel with it? Are you taking it with you? Do you need a laptop, or do you just need something that's going to sit on your desk?
And don't forget to ask for packaged deals. You know, they throw in everything on these deals. You can ask for a printer for free. Make sure you shop around, so you can say, well, the folks over at Gateway offered me X, Y and Z.
HEMMER: Yes, well, you might want to get what you need, but everybody says a lot of times you want to get just a little bit more because you're going to upgrade constantly, so...
WILLIS: That's right. Well, a couple of other tips. Make sure you get a warranty, and make sure it covers the whole system and not just parts. And also, think about getting service. Where is the service that I'm signing up for? Is it halfway across the country, or is it in my backyard? HEMMER: Got it.
WILLIS: You know what the best answer to that is.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri. Good deal.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: Gerri Willis here.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
For>
Aired August 28, 2003 - 07:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Just in time for back to school, great computer deals apparently are everywhere right now. How do you get the best deal, though?
Andy Serwer is off this week. Gerri Willis is not. She's not gone far. She's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Good morning to both of you.
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) deals out there. Tell us where.
WILLIS: Oh, yes. And the prices are coming down. Such good news for parents here. Laptops as low as 799 right now. Now, for that, you're not going to get the fancy schmancy (ph) G-4 weighing in at three pounds. You're going to get something a little bigger, a little heavier. They will be 6 to 8 pounds, 14 to 15 inch screens, but it's perfect for kids who are going back to school. You can see there a list of some of the names that are out there at those prices. And the -- not just the laptop is coming down in price, also those personal computers that you're going to sit on your desk as well.
HEMMER: Got it. If you're going to shop, what do you consider?
WILLIS: No. 1, you've got to know how you're going to use the thing. People typically overbuy with PCs. They, you know, buy everything under the sun. Are you going to burn CDs, or are you just surfing the Web and getting e-mail? Make sure you understand that. Are you going to travel with it? Are you taking it with you? Do you need a laptop, or do you just need something that's going to sit on your desk?
And don't forget to ask for packaged deals. You know, they throw in everything on these deals. You can ask for a printer for free. Make sure you shop around, so you can say, well, the folks over at Gateway offered me X, Y and Z.
HEMMER: Yes, well, you might want to get what you need, but everybody says a lot of times you want to get just a little bit more because you're going to upgrade constantly, so...
WILLIS: That's right. Well, a couple of other tips. Make sure you get a warranty, and make sure it covers the whole system and not just parts. And also, think about getting service. Where is the service that I'm signing up for? Is it halfway across the country, or is it in my backyard? HEMMER: Got it.
WILLIS: You know what the best answer to that is.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri. Good deal.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: Gerri Willis here.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
For>
