Third-party sellers on Amazon don't always offer the same level of customer service or honor the same return policy as gear sold directly from Amazon. That wasn't always true, though, and for several years all of the MacBooks on Amazon were offered by third-party sellers.

Learn more about how we gauge sustainability.Īmazon bills itself as the 'Everything Store,' which of course includes MacBooks. By buying a refurbished one, you may be able to get the MacBook you want faster and for less money. One neat feature of the Apple refurbished store - which includes iPhones and iPads, too - is that it sometimes includes custom configurations of MacBooks that are back ordered from Apple's site. The discount is typically identical to the one offered to students and teachers, but everyone can take advantage of them. Apple guarantees the machine you get will be in like-new condition and includes a one-year warranty. įinally, one of the hidden perks of buying a MacBook directly from Apple is taking advantage of the refurbished section of its store. Here’s a handy guide on what AppleCare does and doesn't cover. One year of AppleCare on a MacBook costs $69.99, but you can get three years for $199, which is a slight discount. The third reason we recommend getting a MacBook at the Apple store is the option to sign up for AppleCare, an optional insurance policy that covers some or all of the repair cost if something goes wrong with your MacBook. One of the nice perks of using the Apple education discount is that you'll also pay less for optional upgrades (more memory, additional storage, a faster processor etc.), which is great if you have specific needs for your machine. Current students and teachers will receive a discount of roughly 10 percent on a MacBook - the actual amount of the discount depends on the model you buy.

The second advantage of buying a MacBook through Apple is its education discount program. Find out more about how to recycle electronics. Apple will accept old iPhones and iPads in exchange for credit, so if you have a junk drawer full of older Apple gear, there's a chance that you'll score a major discount toward your new MacBook by trading it all in. Apple will send you a box with a prepaid shipping label, and you have a two-week period to send in your old computer. The amount you get will depend on the age and condition of your machine, but Apple makes it very easy to take advantage of this program. The first is that you can take advantage of Apple's trade-in program, wherein the company will give you credit toward your new machine in exchange for your old one.

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