Do you need the latest?
Save a bunch of money by purchasing an older Mac
Apple is the master of bringing out new products, with each launch hotly anticipated. But if you can resist the urge to buy the latest shiny computer, you can save yourself a load of money. A lot of resellers will drop the price of previousgeneration Macs when new ones go on sale. If you don’t mind a less up-to-date model, this is an option to consider. As we mentioned on page 31, it’s important to make sure you know what you want in a Mac. If a previous-generation Mac does exactly what you need it to, there’s no need to go for a more expensive model just because it’s newer. Auction websites such as eBay are a particularly good place to look for deals. Lots of people sell their old Macs when newer models get released, and you can take advantage of that and snag a bargain. If you’re lucky, you may even find someone selling a Mac for far below its value to get any money they can to put towards their own upgrade.
There may be another way to save money on a slightly older Mac a little closer to home: check to see if your work intranet has a page where your colleagues can list items for sale. You never know, someone might be selling a Mac for a good price.
Second-hand steals
You might also be able to find a good deal on a second-hand Mac in shops like Mac of all trades ( macofalltrades.com). A very capable mid-2014 15inch MacBook Pro (Retina) will set you back $1279; $700 cheaper than a current entry-level model. As well as that, some of these shops offer warranties on Macs. Mac of all trades, for example, has a 90day warranty with Macs, which covers hardware faults (excluding consumable parts, like batteries), but you won’t be covered against software issues. Mac of all trades will try to repair it; if that’s not possible, it will give you a replacement Mac or a store credit. You can also extend the standard 90day warranty with one or two years, which can be purchased at any point during the 90-day period.
Smaller second-hand stores might have older Macs in stock, but check if they offer a warranty.