Thursday, May 17, 2007, 12:00 am

Amazon offering discounts on old, new MacBook models

By AppleInsider Staff

One day after Apple Inc. introduced a modest refresh to its MacBook line, the 13-inch notebooks were crowding the upper echelon of Amazon.com's top seller list, thanks partly to some hefty discounts by the retailer on new and previous generation models.

As of Wednesday evening, MacBooks combined to occupy 4 out of the top 5 slots on Amazon's list of top selling computers, including three previous-generation models and one recently refreshed models.

Last generation MacBook models

Sales of the now slightly-dated MacBook received a jolt when the retailer began offering instant discounts in addition to $75 mail in rebates, cutting the cost of some models by more than $200. The previous generation 1.83GHz MacBook is listed for $919.99 after a $105 instant savings and $75 mail-in-rebate, down from $1099. Similarly, the 2.0GHz model is offered for $1074.99 after a $150 instant deduction and $75 mail-in-rebate, down from $1299.

Amazon is no longer offering a $100 rebate on the previous generation 2.0GHz black MacBook model, but is alternatively offering a $100.99 instant savings, which reduces the cost to $1399 from $1499.

Current generation (this week) MacBook models

At the same time, the Apple authorized online retailer is also listing availability of the three new MacBook configurations introduced this past Tuesday, offering $100 mail-in-rebate on each of those models.

After rebates, the new entry-level 2.0GHz model costs just $994.99, while the more equipped 2.16GHz offering fetches $1194.99. Amazon is accepting mail-in-rebates on the new 2.16GHz black MacBook, bringing the price of that model down to $1394.99 (which actually makes it cheaper than the previous generation black MacBook).

Amazon also does not charge sales tax.