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Apple’s MacBooks are known for their sleek look and excellent performance, which unfortunately come with a high price tag.
Apple almost never holds sales, but right now you can save $400 on a certified refurbished 12-inch MacBook on Amazon, which is the lowest price you’ll find at a major store. Regularly, this model costs $1,400, but right now it’s $1,000. I know that buying tech refurbished might put some people off, but this laptop is guaranteed to be in like-new condition and comes with a one-year warranty.
The 12-inch MacBook is the ultimate portable Mac. It weighs just over two pounds, which is a pound less than Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro, and .75 pounds lighter than the MacBook Air.
Despite its small size, the little laptop is packed with features that make it a great machine for students, frequent travelers, or people who use the computer for basic tasks. It’s perfect for browsing the web and streaming from Netflix.
The MacBook has a high-resolution screen, so photos and videos will look clear and vibrant, and text will look incredibly sharp. Its 512GB SSD is big enough to hold thousands of songs, hundreds of movies, and tens of thousands of documents without running out of space.
The MacBook’s 8GB of RAM and M3 processor are more than enough power for 1080P video streaming, using Microsoft Office or Google’s G Suite, or keeping a dozen or so browser tabs open while surfing the web.
Read more: The best MacBooks you can buy
This machine is perfect for those everyday tasks, but it isn’t powerful enough for really intense uses, like high resolution photo and video editing or gaming. You’re better off with a MacBook Pro if you’re planning on doing things like that.
Another factor to consider is that the MacBook only has one USB-C port, a new port that can handle everything from charging the computer, to connecting it to accessories. Because it only has one of them, you’ll have to juggle between plugging things in, or charging the MacBook, just like an iPhone or iPad.
It also means you’ll have to get an adapter to connect older USB accessories, which could be an issue if you regularly use many of them at the same time. If that’s the case, you’ll want a multi-port hub, which lets you connect multiple accessories and a charging cable to the MacBook at the same time.
The upside to having a laptop with USB-C is that you can easily charge it while you’re on the go by plugging it into an external battery pack, just like a phone or tablet.
It may have a few limitations for power users, but this is the ultimate laptop for people who need a fully capable computer that doesn’t take up much space. The 12-inch MacBook will easily fit into a student or commuter backpack, which makes it a great choice for high school or college students and frequent travelers.
If you’re looking for a thin and light laptop with more than enough power to get normal work done, the MacBook is an excellent choice, especially at this price.
Apple MacBook (2017, core m3 processor, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD), $999.99 (originally $1,399), available at Amazon [You save $400]
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