DAMN! MacBookPro = $$$

June 18, 2007 8:44 AM

About to join the ranks of the mac faithful, but wtf is with these prices?

In a nutshell, macbook pros are expensive. Duh. Has anyone had good experiences in the past with refurbed/used outlets in the nyc area? I would be looking for serious price difference for a last-generation macbook pro, preferably with some sort of apple-care like warranty. Does anyone have horror stories about these places? Or should I just suck it up and go to Steve Jobs house, hand him my life savings and be done with it?

posted by marxfriedrice to Computers & Internet (26 answers total)

Do you know anyone in higher education? You could get about a 10-20% discount, roughly, through this person.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:50 AM on June 18, 2007

This seems to be a common question around here, so a search would have served you well. However, if you're looking for last gen it's hard to beat Apple.com's own refurb store. Keep an eye on that for a couple weeks.
posted by monkeymadness at 9:02 AM on June 18, 2007

You could also buy a certified used machine directly from Apple. I bought an ipod this way years ago and it's still going strong.
posted by exogenous at 9:02 AM on June 18, 2007

macbook pros are expensive.

You get what you pay for. It's a business-class laptop. If price is such a huge factor for you, why not just get the regular Macbook?

You're also not going to see any kind of "serious price difference" for the previous Macbook Pros- beyond the LCD backlighting, the rest of the improvements are incremental rather than major architectural ones, so I don't think you're going to find any huge bargains.

That said, it can't hurt to try TekServe.
posted by mkultra at 9:06 AM on June 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

And as I tell everyone, check eBay, Froogle, etc. for applecare. You can save around $100 off the retail price Apple charges.
posted by monkeymadness at 9:09 AM on June 18, 2007

Not sure about local-NYC places, but Apple's own refurbs have done well for me in the past, although it's not the really huge price cut that you might be expecting. You can still buy AppleCare on them, though, which might not be a bad deal on a laptop.

Small Dog Electronics sells "used" and "refurbished" Macs, of varying vintages and warranties. It's been a while since I've purchased anything from them [1], but they treated me well when I did.

PowerMax is another, similar, retailer; just looking quickly their prices look somewhat similar, but YMMV depending on what you're looking at.

Anyway, there aren't any tremendous bargains to be had on Macs -- if you see a deal that looks to good to be true, either you're being ripped off or you're probably buying stolen gear, so caveat emptor and all that.

[1] As in, like, years. The last thing I got from them was a PowerBook 165... but they were great back then, and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them. discounts.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:12 AM on June 18, 2007

The thing is.. Macs really don't cost more than PCs if you compare like for like. How many PC notebooks are totally flat with less than an inch thickness all over, with Core 2 Duo chips, backlit keyboards, etc? Even finding one is hard, and when you do, they're more expensive than the MacBook Pro (at least, when I looked).
posted by wackybrit at 9:30 AM on June 18, 2007

I've bought both my iPod and my MBP from Apple's refurb store. With a higher education discount, the MBP and AppleCare came to about $2500. I'm sure you can do better than that if you buy from an outlet, but the refurb store has been good to me over the years.
posted by TheFuse at 9:39 AM on June 18, 2007

How come you're getting a Pro? Unless you're doing high end video, animation or the like, a Macbook will suit even a power user just fine. That will save you some money.

I wouldn't buy anything not from Apple. You're just asking for trouble. Apple has great customer care and support. Trust me, you don't want to forego it.

You are paying a lot because these are fantastic machines. Buy cheap, buy twice, I always say.
posted by sneakin at 9:46 AM on June 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Mod note: please stop the "OMG cost mac vs PCs" crap and answer the question or go to lalala METATALK, thank you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:52 AM on June 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

I can second those who are recommending a refurb'd model, Kadin in particular. I, too, bought from Small Dog a few years ago and was treated like gold.

My MacBook purchase at the beginning of this year, though, was straight from Apple, and I have been nothing but pleased with the machine itself. That I got roughtly 23% off was a heck of a bonus.

(Also? The packaging for the reburished MacBook from apple was as lovely and meticulously thought out as the Apple products I've purchased new. That impressed the hell out of me.)
posted by minervous at 10:00 AM on June 18, 2007

I'm impressed by minervous's 23% off - I've never looked at Apple's refurb store, but searching for used Macs in other places I've noticed that they seem to sell for almost as much as a new one. This is actually a good sign in some ways, because it means that you'll probably be able to resell yours in the future.

I'd definitely try for either the educational or employee discount (if you happen to know someone who works there).
posted by Lady Li at 10:20 AM on June 18, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for the great responses. It seems that Apple Certified Refurbished Products are a pretty good deal. sneaking: The Gigantor screen, the power, the functionality. I am looking for a good investment that will last.

Small Dog seems to be pretty popular. Has anyone had any recent experience with them?
posted by marxfriedrice at 10:24 AM on June 18, 2007

I second SmallDog!
posted by k8t at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2007

I bought my G4 powerbook from powermax (certified refurbed unit) and it's still lovely. I've also heard nothing but good things about small dog - I would have bought from them, but they didn't have what I wanted at that moment in time, and powermax did.
posted by rtha at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2007

Apple Certified Developers also get a significant discount, so if you know anyone who might be a certified developer, you could ask them.
posted by alms at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2007

You might also check your local apple store for refreshed items. That means it was purchased and returned because the person changed their mind, there is nothing wrong with the machine but it can't be sold as new. This will generally save you about 10%. Just ask someone in the store if they have any refreshed units.

Refurb as people have mentioned it also a good way to go. I have a refurb G5 for 3 or so years and it has no problems.
posted by UMDirector at 10:54 AM on June 18, 2007

I've purchased two macs through apple's refurb. While they've been solid performers, they have quite obvious cosmetic defects.
posted by chairface at 11:16 AM on June 18, 2007

Put me in the camp for promoting Apple’s Certified Refurbished products. I’ve bought 2 notebooks, 2 desktops, and 2 iPods from the “Special Deals” section of the Apple store online, each time saving 20-30% off retail prices. (All still in regular use, except 1 iPod that was stolen.)

Their stock changes frequently, so decide what you want first, then check the online store every day until they have something close enough to what you’re looking for.

Also pay attention to the Apple hipster tax: the black MacBook costs more than the white one, based solely on the difference in color.
posted by breaks the guidelines? at 11:18 AM on June 18, 2007

Thirding SmallDog. Ethical, responsive, good pricing, great customer service / customer support. They've earned my business in the past, and I can comfortably say without reservation that they deserve yours.
posted by ZakDaddy at 11:26 AM on June 18, 2007

I've never purchased a computer from Small Dog before, but I have bought several accessories from them in the past, including a Back-UPS just last week, and I have always been satisfied with them. If I were ever in the market for a refurb, I would feel confident about buying from them, though I don't know how that would work with getting Applecare.
I always feel like their stuff arrives very promptly, too, but that may be b/c they're in VT and I'm in MA)
posted by DiscourseMarker at 11:28 AM on June 18, 2007

though I don't know how that would work with getting Applecare
You can get Applecare for any apple computer, independent of where you bought it. The only issue might be what apple considers the "date of purchase", which in my case was December though I bought in April. Get it from an authorized reseller, however (like SmallDog, I'm sure) and you're good.
posted by monkeymadness at 11:33 AM on June 18, 2007

See my comment in this previous thread. If you're a student, or can use a student, you can buy an Apple premier developer account and save a bundle (in total) on a new Mac. A much better discount than the standard educational discount.
posted by lostburner at 11:59 AM on June 18, 2007

I bought my Powerbook refurbed about 18 months ago. Love it. (I bought it right as the Macbooks were coming out, so I can't really offer any more recent advice - just that if you can find something in the Apple refurb store, go for it.)
posted by pyjammy at 1:19 PM on June 18, 2007

Official refurbs are a good option.

The best place to buy new Apple hardware is Amazon. $150 rebate, free shipping, no sales tax, and a generous return policy.

I also recommend paying for your computer with an American Express card. They'll automatically extend your warranty by one year at no charge.
posted by designbot at 2:09 PM on June 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Well, new retail price may be a little higher, but you will able to sell you're mac used for much more than a PC laptop in a few years.
posted by jammnrose at 2:59 PM on June 18, 2007