We have discovered that Apple has already started selling 16” MacBook Pro laptops with prices around 15% below the list price. How can that be? Well, it’s in a less well-known part of the Apple Store, which is one of our favourite places to go to.
Good As New
For anyone in the know, you will have realised that we are referring to the Refurb pages in the Apple Store. Its a part of the Apple Store that rarely gets linked to from Apple’s front pages, but should be in your favourites if you are ever in the market for an Apple computer, or iPhone or iPad.
Typically these are slightly older products that for some reason have been returned to Apple, and Apple has done whatever was necessary to bring them back up to full spec. This is what Apple says…
Every Apple Certified Refurbished product completes a rigorous refurbishment process that includes full testing that meets the same functional standards as new Apple products. Your refurbished device is truly “like new.”
They usually come in plain white boxes rather than the normal branded packaging but that is a small price to pay to get what is effectively a brand new Apple device for around 15% less than the normal Apple price.
Applecare
There are other refurbished Apple products out there, but with nearly all refurbished Apple products out there, you cannot get Applecare on them. Whereas with the products in the Apple Refurb store (and a handful of Apple Certified Refurbishers) is that you can take out Applecare. With most other refurbished Apple computers you are dependent on an extended warranty option (typically only 1 year), which will not be as comprehensive as Applecare, and will require the Apple device to go back to where you bought it. With Applecare, you can take it to any Apple Store or Apple certified service centre anywhere in the world.
If you want to know more about Applecare then check out our article AppleCare - Is It Worth The Expense? One Person's Experience.
16 Inch MacBook Pro Laptops Now in US Apple Refurb Store
The good news for audio professionals using Apple computers, perhaps as a Pro Tools computer, is that the excellent 16” MacBook Pro laptops have started to appear in the Apple Refurb Store, albeit, the US store for now.
As with any product, you cannot guarantee that the model you want will be available the first time you check the refurb store so our advice is to start looking early but if you do see what you are looking for then our advice is to buy it immediately, do not wait. Refurb stocks are typically very low and could be just that one computer, so if you delay, it is more than likely that someone else will buy it first and you will miss the opportunity.