Tim Gaden27 June 2006, 5:55 AM
New Macs might be pricey, but refurbished, ex-demo and end-of-line Macs can be absolute bargains, as long as you know where to find them.
Everyone agrees that there is nothing quite like a shiny, new top-of-the-line Mac. It looks so good that you don't even notice the gaping hole in your wallet. At first.
But you don't have to sacrifice your first born child to get a Mac that will run Tiger with ease. Refurbished Macs, often trade-ins after personal or company upgrade, are worth considering.
Although he thinks that a new Mac is best, Robert Kloester, Managing Director of the Australian reseller Designwyse, says: "It's a good deal if that's all you can afford, if you are looking for a second back-up computer or if you just want to get familiar with the Mac platform."
Tim Kleeman of Next Byte sees a different kind of customer buying from its Firesale and Clearance lists. "They tend to be seasoned Mac users," he says, "people who know the market and don't have a fear about used machines. They know they're going to work and simple consider them thoroughly tested."
At times the clearance lists can offer good deals on almost top-line products. If you can live without the extra 0.16 GHz, stocks of recently-superceded 2.0 GHz MacBook Pros are still available at a wallet-friendly price.
Refurbished Macs offered by resellers are not always trade-ins or superceded stock. Many of them, like the Macs in Next Byte's Firesale list, are sourced from Apple Australia.
Apple Australia and many major resellers, including Computers Now, Designwyse and Next Byte, offer lists of refurbished Macs:
Apple Australia
Special Deals
Warranty: 12 month limited warrantee.
Updates: Weekly
Example deal available now: MacBook Pro 1.83GHz - $2389
Computers Now
End of Financial Year Sale
Warranty: 90 days on used and ex-demo, 12 months on some others. Check carefully.
Updates: Monthly
Example deal available now: Intel iMac 1.83GHz - $1699
Designwyse
Clearance Sale
Warranty: 90 days.
Updates: Daily
Example deal available now: PowerMac G3 300MHz - $195
Next Byte
Clearance and Firesale Lists
Warranty: 90 days on ex-demos, 12 months on some. Check carefully.
Updates: Fortnightly
Example deal available now: iMac G5 17" 1.8GHz - $1549