Typically, refurbished MacBook deals, or most refurbished laptop deals for that matter, aren’t worth the cost. You can buy a brand-new system for about the same price, especially thanks to the best MacBook deals out there. But that’s not the case with a deal Best Buy has available right now. You can get a Geek Squad Certified and refurbished MacBook Air, with an Intel 8th Gen Core i5, for just $580 — that saves you $320 off the usual $900 price. A newer model MacBook Air is going to cost you over $900, especially when you factor in taxes and shipping. This is the 2019 model, so while it is a few years old, you’re still getting a laptop that can go the distance, as Apple’s software updates usually keep older systems performing well.
Generally, we only recommend buying refurbished or renewed products straight from the manufacturer, but Best Buy’s Geek Squad is the exception to that rule. That’s because all refurbished and certified products go through rigorous testing, with detailing, sanitization, and cosmetic grading for the finished product done before they’re put up for sale. In other words, they take their time to make sure they certify only good products in reasonable condition. Even if a bad egg slips by, they offer a 90-day warrant with extended warranty protection available — if you’re worried about extended coverage. Although extended warranties are available on an item-by-item basis, some may not qualify.
So, if you decide to get the MacBook Air deal that’s available with Best Buy’s Geek Squad certification, you’re in good hands.
It’s the 2019 MacBook Air 13.3-inch with an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive for storage. Before checking out, you can also choose gold, silver, or space grey, depending on which color you prefer. Additional features include Touch ID support, stereo speakers with wide sound, two Thunderbolt 3 USB type-C ports, and MacOS Mojave pre-installed. Battery life varies per model, of course, especially due to prior use, but it should last up to 12 hours or so.
If you’re looking to save on a new laptop and just want something to do schoolwork, research, busywork, or watch media and browse, this is a good choice. Brand new, it would cost $900, but thanks to this deal, it’s only $580, saving you $320. If you’re interested, don’t waste any time because this deal will be gone before you know it.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Google DeepMind's AI world model Genie 4 can now build interactive worlds that you can explore and reshape as they run. It also generates ambient sounds, music, and dialogue that respond to your actions.
The new world model builds on Genie 3 with improved realism, more natural human movement, and better simulations of real-world physics. It could eventually help with everything from game development to training robots.
Apple has an incredible talent for making me admire its products while simultaneously questioning what on earth it's thinking with the pricing. This isn't even something as bizarre as a monitor stand, but the audacity for starting a new laptop lineup from $2,000 doesn't surprise me.
The newly announced 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 is just the latest to showcase this. The funny thing is, I already know that it's going to be a reliable workstation. You get a powerful new 2nm M6 processor, a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 24 hours of battery life. We were impressed by the M5 MacBook Air, so the high-end M6 powered MacBook Pro definitely won't let us down.