With Black Friday right around the corner, you might already be thinking about some new digital hardware.
Right now, Apple has dropped prices on several models of its certified refurbished Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Air and Pro varieties, at savings of up to $1,200 off the regular price. While some units could have light cosmetic imperfections, all have been thoroughly cleaned and deemed to be working as well as, or better than, those coming right off of store shelves.
Mac mini
For the space-conscious among us, the Mac mini is Apple's smallest desktop Mac. Once hooked up to your monitor, mouse, and keyboard, the Intel Core i5 delivers outstanding performance without the hefty Apple price. There's no other Mac version that packs this much into such a small package. While their storage size is close, the price difference here comes down whether you're fine with the hard disk drive (HDD), or want the newer, faster solid-state drive (SSD) to access your files with greater speed.
- Apple Mac Mini Intel Core i5, 500GB HDD (Certified Refurbished) – $399.99; originally $799
- Apple Mac Mini Intel Core i5, 512GB SSD (Refurbished) – $616.99; originally $899
MacBook Air
For those with a keen sense for how much weight they're carrying around, the MacBook Air is the lighter, more portable cousin of the Apple laptop line. Whether you go for the 11.6-inch screen or the larger 13.3-inch version, this ultra-sleek laptop makes bulky drives a thing of the past, and boasts a lightning-fast Intel processor, all with a longer battery life and with significantly less weight than before.
- Apple MacBook Air 11.6" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Refurbished) – $559; originally $599
- Apple MacBook Air 11.6" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Refurbished) – $479.99; originally $899
- Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB (Refurbished) – $599; originally $649
- Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD – Space Grey (Refurbished) – $589.99; originally $999
- Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD – Silver (Refurbished) – $629.99; originally $999
- Apple MacBook Air 13.3" Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD (Refurbished) – $659.99; originally $999
MacBook Pro
For demanding laptop users, the Pro might weigh a little more than the Air, but it's got the bells and whistles to make those couple of extra ounces pay off. The unibody construction creates a thinner, lighter profile than similar models, while the speedy Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory, and 13.3" widescreen LED-backlit TFT active-matrix glossy screen pack in all the usual quality Apple features at a significant discount.
- Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 320GB (Refurbished) – $445; originally $600
- Apple MacBook Pro 13.3" Core i5, 4GB RAM, 500GB (Refurbished) – $534; originally $600
iMac
The iMac is Apple's all-in-one desktop station, a compact design that packs everything into one piece of hardware that won't eat up all your open desk space. The iMac houses some serious processing power, as well as all the RAM and other features to support next-level multitasking. You can choose between the iMac with the tidier 21.5-inch screen, or take in the full grandeur of a 27-inch model. Either way, the savings are just as impressive as its features.
- Apple iMac 21.5" Core i3, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD (Grade B Refurbished) – $329.99; originally $999
- Apple iMac 21.5" Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Refurbished) – $679.99; originally $1,299
- Apple iMac 27" Core i5 2012, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Refurbished) – $759.99; originally $1,999
- Apple iMac 27" Core i5 2013, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Refurbished) – $837.99; originally $1,799
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