Like other sectors, tech companies aren't shy about pushing specials and discounts when it comes to the end of the financial year.
In our experience these deals can be a mixed bag; sometimes you'll see genuine savings on major hardware purchases, sometimes it's little more than some accessories thrown in. This year, it's no big surprise that some of the major brands are again rolling out some tax time promotions. Here's what we've found (and if you've spotted a good tax time deal, let us know by emailing us at inbox at pcandtechauthority.com.au):
HP offering bonus EFTPOS cards
Last year HP was giving away Coles Myer Gift cards valued at up to $100 if you bought certain computer hardware, as well as offering trade-ins on printers. This year customers who buy certain HP printers and ink packs are eligble to claim an EFTPOS gift card. The value of the card depends on the printer and ink combo you buy and range in value from $20 up to $100.
Interestingly, the list of eligible printers includes the recently launched Envy home/home office printer which we reviewed here. Other models included in the promotion include OfficeJet Pro and PhotoSmart Premium.
Keep in mind the promotion only applies if you've bought your printer between May 1 and July 31.
As usual, there's an extensive list of terms and conditions. Go here to find out more.
Lenovo laptop specials
Now this is interesting. We've already seen consumer laptops with Intel's 2nd generation Core CPUs fall below the $1,000 mark. Now here's an opportunity to pickup a business model. Head to the Lenovo web site where you'll find up to 15% savings on a variety of laptops with the new chips, some under the $1,000 mark.
It's the extent of the markdowns that caught our eye. The cheapest of the machines on sale includes the Edge series E520, which the site says has been marked down from $1,843.16 to $699. That's the Core i3 version, but you can also pickup a Core i5 version with 1GB AMD Mobility Radeon graphics for $729.
The savings on some of the more expensive Lenovo models are nothing to sniff at either. HP is offering an "eCoupon" code you can use on the site when ordering, which ends on May 23. Buy one of the "value" L520, or the Edge series E520 models, and you can save an extra 5% if you're spending $699 or more. That saving jumps to 15% on the widescreen T520 and the W520.
The W series is the flagship of the new Thinkpad range - the "most powerful" in the Thinkpad family. There's a Core i7 option, and Lenovo likes to throw around references to CAD and CAM work when discussing target users. As well as premium features like Nvidia Optimus graphics to balance battery life and graphics load, and options like SSD, Gigabit Ethernet.
The price also makes our eyes water. The "elite" model is being advertised for sale at $3,699, marked down from $4,953.15. You can add the eCoupon discount to that.
As we reported recently, the Lenovo's 2011 range of Thinkpads also caught our attention for including "noise suppression" technology to stop you sending your workmates mad (or people on the other end of a conference call) with your typing.
Canon offers printer packs
We're not going to say this deal would sway our decision on which printer to buy, but it's a handy bonus to be aware of if your inkjet or laser is about to give up the ghost.
This one's also of relevance to home and business shoppers. Buy a selected Canon Pixma printer and you're eligible for a Home Creative Pack. From what we can understand from the web page, it's full of things like printable CD/DVD labels, stickers for books, iron-on transfers and the like.
If iron-on t-shirt transfers aren't your thing, there's also a Business Creative Pack which includes photo and matte paper, downloadable templates and, of all things, a finance calculator.
Buy certain Lasershot or imageCLASS models and there's a bonus extended onsite service and support package worth $399 - handy if you're not fond of the idea of dealing with maintenance issues down the track.
Routers, storage, wireless
Networking and backup storage is something you might add to an existing home office over time. If you're in the market for a NAX box or Gigabit switch in the next month or so, we recommend taking a look at Netgear's promo page, which has a number of deals.
Perhaps the most interesting is a buy-one-get-one-free offer for certain ReadyNAS storage boxes. Up for grabs are ReadyNAS Diskless Pro 2/4/6 units, valued at $759 to $1729. to be eligible for a free unit, you have to purchase a ReadyNAS 2100/3100/3200/4200 models. Check the link for full details.
If you're kitting out your office with storage, there's also free ReadyNAS Replicate licenses on offer. As the name says, the product replicates one ReadyNAS to another across a network. The two licenses are valued at $1138 and apply if you buy two ReadyNAS Pro or Rackmount Storage units. The site says the offer applies to "eligible" units, so as always, check carefully before making a purchase.
The Netgear promotions also include: a UTM network box for stopping spam and viruses valued at up to $949, a $100 Visa card with a Gigabit switch, and a $419 WiFi access point.
Spotted a good deal? Let us know at inbox at pcandtechauthority.com.au.
