So this week I got myself a shiny new Macbook and it is, indeed, very, very shiny. That leaves me with two other, older macs to get rid of before I go home. One is my ibook, purchased a couple of years back, as a cheap refurb from a UK company. The other is a Mac Mini of similar vintage (mid-2000's). Both have served me extremely well, and the ibook has had at least two books written on it.
The Mac Mini, however, has been effectively gathering dust for the past two years, so it's time to sell it. The ibook is going to Emma's sister down south in Tainan (we're off down there tomorrow for a couple of days over Chinese New Year). As good as it's been, it was just starting to get a bit slow for running stuff like Scrivener, the writing software I've been addicted to the past couple of years. The Macbook is clearly an astonishing piece of kit. It's a refurb too, which I should maybe explain for the benefit of those who don't know.
When a computer is sold to someone and turns out to have any kind of problem, it goes back to Apple. I believe they also have a 'cooling off' period for their machines by which you can return them within 14 days if you change your mind. The point is, that if there is a problem, it's usually something very minor, like a faulty battery. All they need to do is swap it out and the machine is quite literally as good as new.
Except none of these machines can be sold as legally new items, so they're sold as 'refurbs'. They also go through a testing process a second time. Now, in the States, where Apple is based, Macbooks of the type I have go for $1000 (£600 or thereabouts). In the UK, they're about £800. Here in Taiwan, it works out at about £700. So given that I got the equivalent of £100 off the cost of a locally-purchased machine, that's a saving of £200 over the UK Apple stores.
Which is nice. Especially when you consider that it's a tax-deductible work expense. And OMG, it plays full-screen HD-quality streaming video...!
But of course I'm much too busy writing to bother with all that. Of course.
