14 DAY TRIAL // The latest deals on refurbished Macintosh laptops suggest there is a potential refresh due out soon for MacBook Air systems, the last new-generation Apple notebooks that still run on the Core 2 Duo architecture and lack Thunderbolt I/O.
Introduced at Apple’s October 2010 Back to the Mac event, the latest MacBook Airs come in 13-inch and 11-inch flavors with several options for solid state storage and an attractive price, starting at $999 and going all the way up to $1,599.00 for the highest end model.
For $999, those who want to buy themselves a brand new MacBook Air today get the following specs: 11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display; 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 2GB memory; 64GB flash storage; NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics.
The same 11-inch Air with double the storage (128MB) costs $1,199 brand new. However, as of now, Apple’s Special Deals section is offering this model as a refurb for the entry-level price of $999, saving customers $200.
There’s an even cheaper MacBook Air to be had as well. This one comes with a standard 64GB of solid-state storage and sells for $829, which means the lucky buyer saves $170 (an additional 30 dollars slashed off the price listed by Apple just a few days ago).
Other attractive (sub-$1,000) deals are also available from Apple’s store today. Have a look.
With the MacBook Pro and iMac families both featuring Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor architecture and Thunderbolt connectivity, we now have just enough reasons to assume Apple will take a few minutes at WWDC 2011 to introduce updated MacBook Air computers.
Call us speculative, but the Air is nowhere near extinction and the two Intel updates are bound to make their way into the ultra thin notebooks.
About Apple refurbished products
Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process, prior to being offered for sale. They are returned under Apple's Return and Refund Policies.
While only some units are brought back because of technical issues, all of them undergo the company's rigorous quality-refurbishment process.
Service and support include 90 days of telephone support and a one-year warranty. You have the option of purchasing an AppleCare Protection Plan for your refurb, while shipping is free in the US.