Just got this in my emails today…I'm not in the market, but the specs look good for the price.
To the inevitable "naysayers" re: refurbs—> my experience has been very good. The unit is returned with software issue or a mis-installed wireless card. The factory "re-checks" ALL of it. I consider it better than new.
Nice 12 mth warranty includes free courier p/u & return. From the site:
"Sleek aesthetic design
Beyond being extra thin and light, ASUS S56 ultrabooks pack a full feature set in just 21mm. The cool grey hairline design expresses a personal approach. One-piece molded top casing reinforces notebook strength and rigidity, and the entire style embodies subtlety that meets all your performance portability needs.
Why Buy Refurbished?
Like New - Factory approved and re-sealed by Asus - 100% functional like brand new
Huge Savings! - Why pay full retail price? Save hundreds of dollars!
12 months manufacturer warranty - Simply call 1300 278 288 to arrange for warranty, free pick-up and delivery provided by Asus
7 day money back guarantee - Not 100% satisfied? Send it back within - 7 days for a full refund"
Features:
Intel i5-3317U 1.7GHz
500GB HDD + 24GB SSD
4GB RAM
nVidia GeForce GT635M 2GB (http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-635M.66964.0.…)
15.6" Display
Windows 8
$10 Shipping Cap on all Wireless 1 Click Mania Deals!
Cheers
i bought a similar spec laptop last year with GT640M for $50 more but that was new, personally i shy away from refurbed laptops/tablets unless battery condition has been verified for the simple reason that you don't know how the original owner treated the battery, did they properly condition battery? did they always run it down completely thereby reducing it's capacity? and what makes it worse is that fewer and fewer ultrabooks come with user replaceable battery packs, the other stuff like minor scratches or missing papers i can live with because i can see them