After having announced a recent partnership to sell Apple products on its website, internet retailer Amazon is now offering the MacBook Pro for as much as $450 off of the suggested retail price. The models that are steeply discounted by Amazon are from mid-2017, so they’re not part of the 2018 family that Apple recently refreshed earlier this year. The models hawked by Amazon are also refurbished models and aren’t new-in-box retail models.
“Renewed products are pre-owned products, not Apple certified but have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers,” Amazon said, noting that these products come with a minimum 90-day supplier-backed warranty. “Renewed products look and work like new. These products have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers, which typically perform a full diagnostic test, replacement of any defective parts, and a thorough cleaning process. Packaging and accessories may be generic. This product is backed by a one-year Woot Warranty.”
These 15-inch MacBook Pro models come with Apple’s Touch Bar right over the keyboard, and they’re available in either space gray or silver colors. The lowest price model, which originally sold for $1,999, now costs $1,549. At that price, you’re getting a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor clocked at 2.8GHz, 256GB storage, and 16GB DDR3 memory. You’ll also get discrete graphics with an AMD Radeon Pro 555 card with 2GB GDDR5 video memory alongside Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 630.
For those wanting a bit more storage and power, an upgraded refurbished configuration with a quad-core Intel Core i7-7820HQ processor, 512GB solid-state storage, and 16GB of RAM will retail for $1,749, which is down from the listed price of $2,199. Like the less expensive configuration, this one is also a pre-owned product with the same warranty from Woot. This model comes with a better AMD discrete GPU — the Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB of DDR5 video memory. The upgraded configuration can also be similarly acquired in either space gray or silver.
If you’re purchasing a MacBook Pro model that was launched prior to 2018, keep in mind that you won’t be getting a notebook with Apple’s redesigned third-generation keyboard with butterfly key switches. These MacBook Pro models from 2017 come with Apple’s second-generation keyboard design. Though both generations come with shallow key presses, the newest keyboard comes with more insulated keys. Apple markets a quieter typing experience with the new design, but the biggest benefit — and one that should matter to all consumers — is that the new keyboard comes with a silicon cover under the keys to prevent dust and debris from getting trapped. In essence, this new design will help mitigate the widely reported problem of sticky keys that has plagued Apple’s notebook lineup since the company switched to the butterfly key switch design.
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