[adamlindsay]

Does it absolutely need to be brand new? I typically buy my Macs refurbished. Or being in NY, if you are developer, hunt down an ST.121-3 form and get it tax free. Either route will probably save you quite a bit.

Next, take into account resale. All computers drop in value, but Apple products hold theirs better than anything else I have ever seen. I regularly resell my Macs after only a year or two with loss of only a few hundred tops. So the question is more about the yearly cost of ownership. Which also brings up the idea of leasing, but typically it doesn't work out well.

http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/st/st121_fill_in.pdf