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Return of the $999 MacBook Air

Why drop upwards of $1,800 on a new Air when you can get a refurbished model for less than a grand? You even get a full one-year warranty, if you buy it via Apple's online store.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

Oh, MacBook Air. So thin, so sexy, so crazy-expensive. Or not, if you're willing to go the refurbished route. Now reappearing at Apple's online store: the refurbished MacBook Air for $999 shipped (plus sales tax in some states).

This model sports a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and all the other standard Air goodies: 802.11n, a built-in Webcam, a 13.3-inch display, and so on. Read CNET's review for all the details.

The Air doesn't include an optical drive, which has been one of the big complaints since day one, but you do get a full one-year warranty--same as with new models.

That makes this a pretty compelling buy in my book. What do you think? Did you grab an Air the last time it broke the $1,000 barrier? If so, how's it treating you? If not, are you waiting for the price to drop even lower? Hit the Comments and "Air" your thoughts. (Geez, I crack myself up.)

Editor's note: If you're not seeing a Comments link up top, click the post title, then leave your comment. Sorry for the hassle; I'm told our engineers are working to fix the problem ASAP.