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Now is the best time to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro directly from Apple — here's why, and how to get one (AAPL)

Apple

There's a store on Apple's website that's hard to find, but it's the best place to find Apple products for a discount.

I'm talking about Apple's Refurbished Mac store, where you can find a variety of used Apple products that have been refurbished by the company itself. You get a 15% discount, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's still a few hundred dollars off the price tag of a brand new model — and that's an extra few hundred dollars in your pocket that you wouldn't have if you went with a brand-new unit.

I'm aware that the word "refurbished" might put some people off, but if my fantastic experience with a refurbished 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro is anything to go by, there's nothing to worry about. 

Apple's refurbished laptops are especially smart to consider right now. Apple has started selling refurbished units of its 2018 lineup, which come with the most important update for Apple laptops in years: Intel's latest 8th-generation of chips.

Intel's 8th-generation of chips is meaningful. So meaningful, in fact, that I'd dissuade most people from buying Mac laptops with older generations of Intel chips, especially in the 13-inch models, whether they're brand new or refurbished.  

That's because Intel's 8th-generation of chips in Mac laptops contain four or more cores. For those who use Macs for regular work with more or less "basic" apps like Microsoft's Office Suite, office messaging apps, and a web browser, it means better longevity for your Mac. It'll potentially give your MacBook longer legs by handling your workload for a longer time period than Mac laptops with older Intel chips that come with two cores. 

And for those using video and photo editing software, four cores or more mean faster and smoother editing.

Check out how you can get your hands on a 2018 MacBook Pro that's been refurbished by Apple itself, and what to look out for:

First, you need to get there, and the easiest way is to either click the link below or search for "Apple Refurbished Mac Store."Apple

You'll find Apple's Refurbished Mac Store by clicking here



Then, click on the MacBook Pro with the screen size you're looking for.Apple/arrow by Business Insider

Apple offers refurbished models for both its 13-inch and 15-inch models. However, at the time of writing this article, only 13-inch 2018 refurbished models are still available.

You can find the options towards the top left of the site, or click here to go directly to the 13-inch models, and here for the 15-inch models



Here's what to look for when browsing through the 13-inch models:Apple/arrow by Business Insider

Apple's 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro uses Intel's 8th-generation "Core i5" chip that comes with four cores. You can easily tell which laptops have that chip by looking for the word "quad-core" in the unit's name. For example, you'll see "Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Retina display - Silver" when browsing through the store.

Those units that don't come with Intel's 8th-generation of chips will say "dual-core." You'll also see the original release date as "2017." You have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the 2018 quad-core units. 



Here's what to look for when browsing 15-inch models:Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

For 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros, you're looking for the word "6-core."

As of October 22, there aren't any 2018 15-inch models available. But MacRumors spotted some earlier, which means Apple is stocking refurbished 2018 15-inch models, they've just already sold out. That's just the nature of refurbished devices, especially popular ones from Apple.

If you are interested in a 15-inch device, MacRumors uses a handy tool called Refurb Tracker that can alert you via email when refurbished 2018 15-inch models come back in stock. 



Even if you can't find 2018 15-inch models with six cores, the 2017 15-inch models have four cores, which could be enough for your needs.Apple

If you're looking at a 15-inch model mostly because you simply want a bigger screen rather than power, the 2017 quad-core models will suit you just fine — they should even have enough power for photo and video editing.

But if you want more power that comes with six cores, your best option is to either buy a new 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro, or hope that more people return their 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros to become available on the Apple Refurbished Mac store.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Buying a MacBook Pro from Apple's Refurbished Mac store was the best decision I made when getting a new computer

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