Apple Online Store - Malaysia

I have to say that wherever possible, and particularly when buying high value goods, I prefer to buy products from a physical store as opposed to online, unless I am dealing with a very well respected online trader (e.g. Amazon in the UK and US or maybe Superbuy here in Malaysia).  This is mainly because you get to inspect the goods before taking them and, if there is a problem with it, you have somewhere local to return it to for remedy.

At the moment there are no official Apple Stores in Malaysia and as a result you are obliged to buy from either authorised premium re-sellers (such as 'Switch') or unauthorised re-sellers.  A potential problem for me with the latter is if you have warranty problems (e.g. who will be carrying out the work if faults arise), there is also the issue as to where the goods are sourced from.  My preference therefore is to use the authorised re-sellers and 'Switch' tends to stock quite a wide range of Apple products.  The problem is their stock can still be somewhat limited and if you want something which is  not standard spec, or one of the less popular items (e.g. an Airport Extreme Base Station), you will likely find that the re-sellers do not stock them.

Fortunately all is not lost as Malaysia is now also serviced by an Apple Online Store, the goods being provided to the region via Apple's Singapore hub.  I have used the online store on two occasions now and have found the service to be very good.  If the goods are in stock they will generally arrive by courier within 3-4 working days and, as is common with Apple, orders over a certain amount get free postage and packing, in this case the threshold RM 250.  If the goods are not in stock they will be sent as soon as they arrive and you will be notified of the anticipated delivery date.  The communication from the Online Store is very efficient, they will even send you an SMS when your goods have dispatched.  You cal also follow the progress of your order via the online tracking system.  If you have cause to call the Apple Store I found the staff to be be very friendly and efficient.

So, if you are looking for your latest Apple fix and the re-sellers cannot oblige, the online store is there as a further option and, in my experience, can be used with confidence.