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Apple's Hidden MacBook Pro With Touch Bar Discount

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Apple’s launch last year of the new MacBook Pro range saw a new feature being launched with the Touch Bar, but also a resetting of the price point. This tends to happen with any major shift in the MacBook Pro range. It keeps the margins high and as components become cheaper over the years the price can drop while the profit remains.

It does leave consumers looking at a rather large early adopter ‘tax’ but now there’s a cheaper way to get started with Apple’s new design of MacBook Pro… and it is hidden deep in Apple’s own website.

The secret is to head to the refurb section of the online Apple Store. There has been a constant turnover of older Mac machines on this page for many years. The machines generally come with a $200-$300 discount depending on the model, but Apple will still offer a twelve-month warranty and the option to purchase Apple Care for the same price as those who buy their MacBooks new.

This weekend saw the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar arrive in the refurb section in various configurations. The ‘entry-level’ model with an i5 processor, 8 GB or RAM and 256 GB of flash storage is priced at $1529 compared to $1799 for a brand new model. If you bump the RAM up to 16 GB, the macOS-powered laptop is currently available for $1699 compared to the new price of $1999.

Apple’s refurb section is not a ‘built to order’ section and is dependant on stock levels. While the Touch Bar enabled Macs are very much on the cutting edge of macOS hardware, the price has been eye watering for those looking to join in Apple’s slowly evolving concept of the laptop. The addition of these machines to the refurb store (and the associated peace of mind of a full warranty and the option of Apple Care) should help increase the adoption of the new technology.

Apple needs the Touch Bar to become established as quickly as possible. Much like 3D Touch in iOS, unless developers can be confident that the Touch Bar is present it can only be used as a secondary control elements and its potential will remain trapped.

Now read why the MacBook Pro is no longer as popular as it once was…

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