Good Deals on Mac Mini's?

[AirBaker]

So, my techie curious side is getting a bit interested in purchasing a Duo Core Mac. Are Mac prices pretty much set, or do you find good deals out there?

 

[mikea]

So, my techie curious side is getting a bit interested in purchasing a Duo Core Mac. Are Mac prices pretty much set, or do you find good deals out there?

You can save 10% if you qualify for the educational discount. If you're associated with a college as student or faculty you qualify.

Otherwise refurbs in the Apple store are a good deal. Click on the red tag.
http://store.apple.com

Refurbs get burned in longer than "new in box" models and still have a year of AppleCare coverage so you're not risking much and you can save 15%.

Some retailers will throw in some things with a new Mac that will help. None will discount a Mac.

Spend $5 for some good info:
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/buying-mac.html
you get Small Dog coupon with that.
Small Dog also has deals on refurbs but they don't promise as much as the Apple store.
http://www.smalldog.com

Just be sure to get an Intel Mini, not a G4. You'll also want at least 1GB of RAM. Try http://www.macsales.com for a reliable source for RAM.

 

[rpadula]

Wow. They currently have no Macs at all in the refurb store. Just iPods.
They must really be selling everything they can make.

Mike,

I thought this the other day too, but noticed when you go to Apple's refurb page, there's a tab at the top to select between Macs, iPods, Promos, and Offers. For some odd reason, the first page is iPods.

There are definitely refurb Macs for sale. Right now there's a Mini Core Duo 1.66/512/80/SuperDrive/Airport/Bluetooth on for $699.


-Rich

Oh, P.S. keep an eye on www.dealmac.com. They're always good at notifying us of good Mac deals.

 

[SkyHog]

Refurbs get burned in longer than "new in box" models and still have a year of AppleCare coverage so you're not risking much and you can save 15%.

What does burned in mean in this context. I am confused.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

What does burned in mean in this context. I am confused.

They put 'em on a diagnostic shelf, plug 'em in, and run 'em for xx hours to ensure there's no hardware errors. It only goes in the box if it had no problems, otherwise it goes to QA to get fixed.

Like a test cell for aircraft engines post-overhaul.

 

[mikea]

They put 'em on a diagnostic shelf, plug 'em in, and run 'em for xx hours to ensure there's no hardware errors. It only goes in the box if it had no problems, otherwise it goes to QA to get fixed.

Like a test cell for aircraft engines post-overhaul.

Yep. And the point is when I ordered my Macs they were build to order, which happens if you select a non-standard option.

They shipped from the factory in China in ~24 hours. Ya gotta figure the factory in China didn't let them run for days like the repair shop does. Thus the refurbs have been checked a little more thoroughly.

BTW, even though they come from China, you still get your Mac in 2-3 business days. We are the Jetsons.

 

[AirBaker]

What does burned in mean in this context. I am confused.

The idea is that you get rid of any 'walking wounded' product. Flip it on and it works, then it quits 10 mins later.

I think it's really just a way to make refurb products sound better.