This all took place a couple weeks ago, and since then, the MacBook Pro has been getting regular workouts and hasn't shown any ill effects of its previous life as a returned product. There aren't any dead pixels on the screen, the OS has been rock solid, and everything works as expected. I am, however, investing some of my savings in my continued peace of mind by buying AppleCare for this machine, just in case there are any deep-down lingering issues. I seriously doubt I'll have to use the protection, but if something disastrous happens 30 months in, I'll be much happier having spent the money for AppleCare.

If you're thinking of shopping the Special Deals site, here are a few things to keep in mind. First, the products listed there change quite often--the number of matte-screened MacBook Pros available, for instance, seems to decrease every day. So load the page often if you're in the market for a refurbished machine; unfortunately, there's no RSS feed, so you can't keep up with the deals in your favorite newsreader.

Second, you'll find the best deals in the Apple Certified Refurbished section of the page. Further down is a Previous Generation section, and it's here where you'll find new-in-box prior generation machines. Because the machines are brand new, you'll pay a bit more for them--the exact 15-inch MacBook Pro that I purchased is also available in this section, for $300 more than I paid for it.

Finally, if you do buy a refurbished machine, I would strongly recommend investing some of your cash savings in AppleCare. Knowing that your rebuilt machine is covered for a full three years is a reassuring feeling, especially if this machine is going to be your primary work Mac.

Even after paying for AppleCare, though, you'll still come out well ahead against buying a brand new Mac. In my case, after selling my 2.33GHz machine and including the cost of AppleCare, I was able to buy a good-as-new and nicely equipped MacBook Pro (with three years of AppleCare coverage) for about $1,000. For that price, I get a machine that's hopefully got enough horsepower to see me through the glossy-only era, even if that stretches across the next five years or so.