Don’t worry about the Mac Book Air shortages — these official Apple refurbished deals are a better buy anyway | Tech Radar

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Don’t worry about the Mac Book Air shortages — these official Apple refurbished deals are a better buy anyway

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The Mac Book Air is suffering major shortages due to the memory crisis

One of the best is to get a refurbished model from Apple

You’d think that increasing its product prices would make it a little easier to pick up an Apple device, what with other customers staying away, but you might be wrong on that one. As per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it looks like the Mac Book Air is proving to be extremely difficult to find — even with a $200 price increase.

Gurman states that Apple’s most popular Mac is experiencing “unprecedented” delays due to the ongoing memory crisis, with Apple retail employees telling Gurman that the company “is struggling to keep the laptop in stock and that shipments of new units are more constrained than they can ever recall.”

But there’s no need to worry if you’re in the market for a Mac Book Air, as there’s one trick that can save you cash and help you get your hands on an Apple laptop despite the shortages. That’s by employing a tried-and-true method: buying refurbished.

Indeed, one of the best ways to do this is through Apple’s own refurbished store. Purchasing a Mac this way gets you a device that has had any faulty or defective parts replaced by genuine Apple alternatives. The product is cleaned, polished, and sent to you in a brand-new box with the same accessories you’d get with a fresh device.

I bought my M1 Pro Mac Book Pro this way, and it was virtually indistinguishable from a new Mac while saving me hundreds of dollars. I’d absolutely go down this road again.

Headed off to college? Here's why buying a pre-loved Mac Book Air at Back Market is a great idea

Apple Mac Book Air M5 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is $100 off

Skip the Apple Store: Back Market's pre-loved Mac Books and i Pads can save you up to $400 — perfect for thrifty students

Looking at Apple’s refurbished Mac store in the US, there are currently some choice deals to be had. For example, you can get a 13-inch Mac Book Air with an M5 chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage for

Or you can get a 15-inch Mac Book Air with that same combination of M5 chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage for

Over on Apple’s UK refurbished store, you’ll find those same models with similar savings of £200 and £230 compared to new alternatives. That means these discounts aren't limited to only US buyers.

And it’s also worth looking at the Mac Book Pro if you want to step up. You can save

And remember that these devices come extremely close to the experience you’d get with a brand-new Mac Book. You might be able to get cheaper deals elsewhere — and it’s always worth shopping around — but I don’t think you’ll get anything up to Apple’s standards anywhere else.

So, if you’ve been trying to snap up a Mac and have found yourself despairing at the lack of availability, don’t panic. There are still plenty of decent bargains to be had if you want that touch of Apple quality while still saving a respectable chunk of change.

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➡️ Read our full guide to the best Mac Books and Macs

1. Best Mac Book overall: Mac Book Air 13-inch M5
2. Best budget Mac Book: Mac Book Neo
3. Best Mac: Mac mini (M4)
4. Best Mac Book Pro Mac Book Pro 14-inch M5
5. Best Mac for professionals Mac Studio M4 Max

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as Tech Radar, Alex writes for i More, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at Mac Format magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
• Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
• Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards