It’s that time of year again, and families are looking to kit their kids out with a computer for the school year. Fans of Apple gear will already have their parents sweating at the thought of Mac prices, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. While the latest M4 Macs are super-fast, they’re definitely overkill for schoolwork.
In fact, any M-series Mac will get the job done and Woot is running a sale with tons of new and refurbished units available from just $360.
The older M1 iMac and M2 Mac Mini machines are still more than capable for most folks, and there are some iMacs included in this sale as well. That makes this latest Woot sale well worth checking out, but be sure to do it soon — this sale ends in a few days and some Macs are already starting to sell out.
There are also Intel-based iMacs on offer but we suggest skipping those and going straight for the M1 models thanks to the much-improved chip and modern design. All of these iMacs are reconditioned, the cheapest of which is an M1 model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for $680. You can upgrade to one with an extra GPU core and more storage if you prefer with 512GB and 1TB storage on offer for just $800. That’s still a lot cheaper than the newer M4 model that start at almost $1,300.
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On the Mac Mini side, an M2 model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD can be yours for $360. Remember that some of these units are refurbished while others are brand new, so keep an eye on the warranty situation for the model you want before ordering.
This Woot sale does also include some Intel-powered iMacs and Mac minis, but we suggest giving them a miss at this point. They’re getting a little long in the tooth and we definitely suggest choosing an M1 machine or newer at this point.
Prefer your computers to come with full Apple warranties and that new computer smell? Our list of the best iMac deals around should get you a brand-new model at a price to match your budget.
LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$630 (save $170)
Why this deal matters
All of Apple’s M-series Macs are a solid buy if you can find one at the right price, something that couldn’t have been said about the older models based on Intel chips. Even the original M1 chips are fast enough for the majority of people, and they can even play plenty of games as well.
If you want that famous Apple to design and to be able to run macOS apps while spending as little as possible, this could well be the sale for you.
