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MacBook for $50 - Good deal?

mrsir2009

mrsir2009

macrumors 604
Original poster
Sep 17, 2009
7,505
156
Melbourne, Australia
Hey,

My old school is selling their 3 year old MacBooks to anyone for $50 each. They've got 2GB of RAM, 256mb graphics 100GB hard disk and 2GHz processor. Is it a good deal for $50? Should I buy one for school, since I don't want to take my good MBP to school?

[EDIT: To you guys who want to buy some off me, be aware that I live in New Zealand, which may make it not worth the huge shipping costs for you fullas who live in the US. I'll still send em, but you have to pay the shipping cost, which, unless you live inside NZ, will be a lot. ;)
 
Last edited:
dukebound85 said:
horrible deal
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I am extremely interested to know why you think getting a computer for far below market value is a bad deal, unless you are being sarcastic. Unless I'm quite mistaken, this is the aluminum unibody model.

This is an awesome deal, I would buy several just to stock up. That being said, what's the point of owning a MBP if you don't want to take it places? Isn't that the whole point of owning a laptop?
 
of course I was being sarcastic...

My initial response was making light of why the op would even ask if it was a good deal when it is so very obvious it is. Or was he thinking 20 bucks would be a good deal and not 50? I mean comeon lol
 
Dude at 50 bucks I would buy 6 of them......


I am deadly serious by the way.


I would wipe them and do a fresh install and give them out as xmas presents to my whole family.....

Although I find it hard to believe your school would actually sell them.

I thought educational establishments leased computer equipment en masse, I would expect they bought them on a deal with apple via a larger local area education authority, then the laptops would be returned to apple after say 3 years where they would be sold on refurbished, and your school would get a new batch....

That is how it works in europe with companies such as dell or HP.
 
Lots of schools do this. It can be a great bargain. I've seen stories in the tech news where schools did this an caused a riot - several hundred people showed up to buy 25 computers.

I'd buy several. They would make excellent travel machines.
 
miamijim said:
Dude at 50 bucks I would buy 6 of them......


I am deadly serious by the way.


I would wipe them and do a fresh install and give them out as xmas presents to my whole family.....

Although I find it hard to believe your school would actually sell them.

I thought educational establishments leased computer equipment en masse, I would expect they bought them on a deal with apple via a larger local area education authority, then the laptops would be returned to apple after say 3 years where they would be sold on refurbished, and your school would get a new batch....

That is how it works in europe with companies such as dell or HP.
Click to expand...

They should be leasing. That plan you mentioned makes far more sense.

My parents told me that the school district in their county is giving laptops to every student. :eek: No lease? No stipulations on usage conditions? Nothing? That's a sheer waste of money...

As for the OP, for $50 each, I'd buy as many as I could as well and give them away as Xmas gifts. Macs are cool.
 
Are you serious? You's be hard pressed to find an iPod nano on eBay for $50. The display alone is worth twice that amount! I'd buy EVERY ONE they have - and sell them on eBay for almost 10 times that amount for ~$400 each. Why would anyone even ask if "$50 is a good deal" - is this a joke?
 
dukebound85 said:
of course I was being sarcastic...

My initial response was making light of why the op would even ask if it was a good deal when it is so very obvious it is. Or was he thinking 20 bucks would be a good deal and not 50? I mean comeon lol
Click to expand...

I read your sarcasm right away!!

I bet if the op asked,

"is getting a 2009 13" MacBook pro for free a good deal"

I bet he still could not find your sarcasm in "horrible deal"
 
mrsir2009 said:
Hey,

My old school is selling their 3 year old MacBooks to anyone for $50 each. They've got 2GB of RAM, 256mb graphics 100GB hard disk and 2GHz processor. Is it a good deal for $50? Should I buy one for school, since I don't want to take my good MBP to school?
Click to expand...

can you get me one? i can send you money via paypal
 
They are preunibody white MacBooks (NOT ALU) and yes, they are selling them. They are in pretty terrible cosmetic condition (cracks, scratches, dents, nicks etc) but their body physically strong and they are practically usable. Apart from looking like **** and having stickers all over them, their all good.
 
mrsir2009 said:
They are preunibody white MacBooks (NOT ALU) and yes, they are selling them. They are in pretty terrible cosmetic condition (cracks, scratches, dents, nicks etc) but their body physically strong and they are practically usable. Apart from looking like **** and having stickers all over them, their all good.
Click to expand...

You could use one as server I suppose, I did so with my MB before I sold it.
 
mrsir2009 said:
They are preunibody white MacBooks (NOT ALU) and yes, they are selling them.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, then something is off on your specs. The only MacBook with a 2.0 GHz C2D and 256 MB shared graphics memory (as specified in your original post) is the aluminum unibody MacBook. If you ignore the graphics memory, then it's either the high-end late 2006 or the low-end mid 2007.

Don't forget that if the top case is cracking, Apple will replace those for free.
 
:eek: Absolutely awesome deal. I wouldn't mind one myself! As others have said, I would buy every one! The bad guy in me thinks of profiting, and the good guy is thinking about the best collection of family Christmas gifts ever.
 
mrsir2009 said:
They are preunibody white MacBooks (NOT ALU) and yes, they are selling them. They are in pretty terrible cosmetic condition (cracks, scratches, dents, nicks etc) but their body physically strong and they are practically usable. Apart from looking like **** and having stickers all over them, their all good.
Click to expand...

Who cares? You could still re-sell them for a huge profit.
If you want it for personal use, buy a case for the outside, use a Magic Eraser on the inside (except the screen, of course... you can use iKlear on that).

And, either way, if the palmrest or bezel is cracked, bring it to Apple for a free repair/ replacement.

Only a fool would not scuff up as many of these as he could afford from the school at that price.

----------
SkippyThorson said:
:eek: Absolutely awesome deal. I wouldn't mind one myself! As others have said, I would buy every one! The bad guy in me thinks of profiting, and the good guy is thinking about the best collection of family Christmas gifts ever.
Click to expand...

How, exactly, is it bad to buy these for the honest price they are asking and simply listing them for sale on Ebay for a profit? By your logic every business is "bad" and Steve Jobs was a horrible person. What is wrong with making a profit? I'm sure you'd have enough to buy Christmas gifts and then have some left over. Nothing "bad" about it.
 
myrtlebee said:
How, exactly, is it bad to buy these for the honest price they are asking and simply listing them for sale on Ebay for a profit? By your logic every business is "bad" and Steve Jobs was a horrible person. What is wrong with making a profit? I'm sure you'd have enough to buy Christmas gifts and then have some left over. Nothing "bad" about it.
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstood, I don't mean that business is Evil, but I look at this like the HP TouchPad firesale. Tons of people that genuinely wanted one to use missed out, while the little scammers of the world bought dozens only to profit. (Now, don't get me wrong, if I were on the other side of the fence, I'd be a happy little profit-mogul. :))

I don't mean I'd buy these instead of Christmas gifts, I meant to get them AS gifts. -- I'm not calling my idea bad in the sense that it's cruel and unusual, I just mean purely beneficial to me as opposed to purely helping others. That's all.

("Don't get your knickers in a twist." How did you get an insult out of what I said? Geez...)
 
Yeah, well, if they are still offering them for $50 when the end of the year comes round I'll get as many as my mum & the school will let me :) How many I can get my hands on depends on how many students will buy them... You see, the students get first dibs on their own laptop, so I can only buy the MacBooks that their owners don't want. ;)
 
mrsir2009 said:
Hey,

My old school is selling their 3 year old MacBooks to anyone for $50 each. They've got 2GB of RAM, 256mb graphics 100GB hard disk and 2GHz processor. Is it a good deal for $50? Should I buy one for school, since I don't want to take my good MBP to school?
Click to expand...

sure, why not.
 
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