No, I’m not going to tell you when during the year to buy a Mac (“not the week before WWDC”), but I am going to share a neat trick. Tragedy of the commons, here we go.
Apple’s online store has refurbished Macs for sale. These are often a very good deal — today’s selections range from 13-26% off the original prices.
Refurbished Macs carry the same full one-year warranty as new ones and are eligible for the free printer rebate and AppleCare. (Aside: if you don’t need the support, your credit card’s extended warranty protection many be enough.)
But if you look right now, there’s only one refurbished MacBook:
No, Apple hasn’t sold every refurbished MacBook they own. They’re only sold out for today.
If you check back at 1 AM PDT (4 AM EDT), you’ll see a much larger selection. (Didn’t see much? Try again the next day.)
This means by the time the west coast wakes up, the east coast early birds have snapped up the best deals. Suggestion: stay up late.