Refurb'd or Pre-Owned MacBook Air or PC?

[haremite]

My son is off to college next month and would like a 13 inch Air. Even on sale, the newest models for 256Gb cost about $1G and Apple itself isn't offering any discounts except to toss in a Beats headphone with purchase. Well, he doesn't need a Beats headset nor do I.

So I'm wondering where I can buy a refurbished Air from a reliable source. Even the Apple Store prices are still high.

Barring this, and I know this is a forum for Mac products, can anyone suggest a great alternative brand that won't cost as much as a Mac and still do a great job. Yes, I'm talkin about PC's. And we don't want a chromebook or a 2-in-1, etc., just a laptop. Thanks.

 

[chscag]

The best place to buy a refurbished MacBook Air is from the Apple on line refurbished store. However, since you think that prices there are also too high, there really is no other reliable source to buy a refurbished Apple product. I'm really not familiar with PCs as to their quality, but I do receive a catalogue from Dell every so often and it seems their prices are competitive.

 

[captrc]

My son is off to college next month and would like a 13 inch Air. Even on sale, the newest models for 256Gb cost about $1G and Apple itself isn't offering any discounts except to toss in a Beats headphone with purchase. Well, he doesn't need a Beats headset nor do I.

So I'm wondering where I can buy a refurbished Air from a reliable source. Even the Apple Store prices are still high.

Barring this, and I know this is a forum for Mac products, can anyone suggest a great alternative brand that won't cost as much as a Mac and still do a great job. Yes, I'm talkin about PC's. And we don't want a chromebook or a 2-in-1, etc., just a laptop. Thanks.

[doublepost=1532295236][/doublepost]

My son is off to college next month and would like a 13 inch Air. Even on sale, the newest models for 256Gb cost about $1G and Apple itself isn't offering any discounts except to toss in a Beats headphone with purchase. Well, he doesn't need a Beats headset nor do I.

So I'm wondering where I can buy a refurbished Air from a reliable source. Even the Apple Store prices are still high.

Barring this, and I know this is a forum for Mac products, can anyone suggest a great alternative brand that won't cost as much as a Mac and still do a great job. Yes, I'm talkin about PC's. And we don't want a chromebook or a 2-in-1, etc., just a laptop. Thanks.

[doublepost=1532295399][/doublepost]

My son is off to college next month and would like a 13 inch Air. Even on sale, the newest models for 256Gb cost about $1G and Apple itself isn't offering any discounts except to toss in a Beats headphone with purchase. Well, he doesn't need a Beats headset nor do I.

So I'm wondering where I can buy a refurbished Air from a reliable source. Even the Apple Store prices are still high.

Barring this, and I know this is a forum for Mac products, can anyone suggest a great alternative brand that won't cost as much as a Mac and still do a great job. Yes, I'm talkin about PC's. And we don't want a chromebook or a 2-in-1, etc., just a laptop. Thanks.

[doublepost=1532295441][/doublepost]Try Macsales.

 

[ignatius345]

If it was me I'd also very cautiously check out eBay. I'd only consider sellers with a good, solid feedback history. Unless it's been worked to death or is physically damaged, I'd think you could get at least a couple years' use out of a used MBA.

As captrc above mentions, though, MacSales has quite a few in inventory and should be a trustworthy source.

Main wear point is the battery, which may on a used MacBook have a lot of cycles on it. Swapping it out for a new one is defintely doable. I bought a replacement battery from macsales.com (Other World Computing) a couple months ago and had it installed within 30 minutes.

 

[designs216]

First off, I usually start my search on the MR Buyers Guide Page. Scroll down about half way to see best current prices.

I've been looking at getting an Air myself and, like you, noted that the refurbs at Apple are often more expensive than a new machine over at B&H. This NY photo and computer vendor has been a good choice in the past due to the fact that they don't charge sales tax or shipping. This may have changed recently.

Here on the eve of the product refresh, another option is buying from Craigslist. When the new Air is released, many people will try to unload their older model via the online yardsale for a song. Make sure the genius bar folks test it out as a condition of sale to ensure battery health, etc. I'm personally leery of purchasing an untested computer from eBay.

 

[ignatius345]

My son is off to college next month and would like a 13 inch Air. Even on sale, the newest models for 256Gb cost about $1G and Apple itself isn't offering any discounts except to toss in a Beats headphone with purchase. Well, he doesn't need a Beats headset nor do I.

So I'm wondering where I can buy a refurbished Air from a reliable source. Even the Apple Store prices are still high.

Barring this, and I know this is a forum for Mac products, can anyone suggest a great alternative brand that won't cost as much as a Mac and still do a great job. Yes, I'm talkin about PC's. And we don't want a chromebook or a 2-in-1, etc., just a laptop. Thanks.

Just stumbled across this deal. Modest specs, but should be sufficient for writing papers, etc. MacMall is a reliable retailer and has been around for a long time.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacB...4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-MD760LLB-2014-/311854297464

 

[haremite]

Thanks everyone!