TIP - £699 Macbooks for £529 - Direct from Apple! [Archive]

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 07:36 AM

EDIT TO ADD

Ok guys - under the circumstances I feel I should post a slight advisory in my intial post.

It would appear that although the majority of people have received the brand new shop stock returned models I said they would, there have been a few instances where people have received refurbed Macbooks instead.

So be aware when ordering that there is a slight risk you may not get a shop stock returned Macbook (not that is necessarily a bad thing though if you can live with the odd mark).

Apologies :(

Hi All

Although I mainly use this forum to glean info rather than post, I thought I would share some knowledge that could benefit others. :)

My girlfriend wanted an entry level Macbook, so naturally we decided to wait until the new MBs were released. Having been severely disappointed with the models/pricing here in the UK, I decided to try and track down what would happen to the £699 shop stock models that were sent back to Apple. I had read that they would be taken apart and used for parts, but a quick call to my contact at Apple and he confirmed that even though most of them would be taken apart, a small amount would be made available through the Refurb' store fully sealed and brand new as they were in the shops! He said they would start appearing today and would be scattered in at various times over the next 7-14 days, although he couldn't confirm the price.

So, up nice and early this morning to watch the shop - I refreshed the screen a few times at the time I got told they would be appearing (10am) and bingo! Up they popped, 2.4 models for £659 (still there last time I looked) and 2.1 models for a brilliant £529!!!! I double checked the specs and sure enough it was a £699 model so I whacked it in the basket (with a few other things)... Result! :D

http://www.kevinmichaelpowell.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/macbook_purchase.jpg

Even when we had our order confirmed there was still some showing in the store up to an hour later, so I presume there were a couple of them available.

So, for anybody who was hoping for a new entry level macbook at a decent price, who isn't to worried regarding the LED and multi-touch blah blah, keep an eye on the refurb store at 10am each morning, for the next week or so.

:)

neiltc13

Oct 18, 2008, 07:39 AM

Yeah, the refurb store isn't really as much of a secret as you seem to think!

And a word of advice - if you can, cancel the order for that mouse. It truly is awful and is in my opinion one of - if not the - worst mouse ever made. Your MacBook will work with any USB or Bluetooth mouse.

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 07:42 AM

Yeah, the refurb store isn't really as much of a secret as you seem to think!
I know the refurb store isn't a secret, but these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed and boxed. I was giving people advice on when they would be available etc, that's my point.

And a word of advice - if you can, cancel the order for that mouse. It truly is awful and is in my opinion one of - if not the - worst mouse ever made. Your MacBook will work with any USB or Bluetooth mouse.
Use them heavily on my iMac and Mac Pro and I've not had any problems. I just clean the roller ball with neat alcohol (my girlfriend is a Biomedical scientist, so has access to it) once in a while and they work fine.

:)

neiltc13

Oct 18, 2008, 07:43 AM

I know the refurb store isn't a secret, but these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed and boxed. That's my point.

Have one on my iMac and Mac Pro which are used heavily and have not had any problems with it. I just clean the roller ball with alcohol once in a while and they work fine.

:)

Well good luck, but for the price Apple wants for one of them I am confident there are far, far better products on the market.

JG271

Oct 18, 2008, 07:49 AM

Ah, i've already ordered one from the ordinary store.:o
I suppose i got a nano though, still could have saved some money.

There is currently a 2.4ghz model in the refurb store for £650!
Would the printer deal apply if you bought it this way?

Is there anything different about the product if you buy it from the refurb store?

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 07:55 AM

Is there anything different about the product if you buy it from the refurb store?
Nope no difference at all - these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed & boxed reseller stock that the resellers aren't allowed to sell (apple make them send old stock back to them when new models are announced). :)

JG271

Oct 18, 2008, 07:59 AM

Nope no difference at all - these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed & boxed reseller stock that the resellers aren't allowed to sell (apple make them send old stock back to them when new models are announced). :)

Oh cool, i noticed my local currys is still selling 2.2ghz macbooks though:P

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 08:01 AM

Oh cool, i noticed my local currys is still selling 2.2ghz macbooks though:P
Sorry I should have been more specific, I meant the :apple: stores themselves. :o

Davidkoh

Oct 18, 2008, 08:16 AM

Hi All

Although I mainly use this forum to glean info rather than post, I thought I would share some knowledge that could benefit others. :)

My girlfriend wanted an entry level Macbook, so naturally we decided to wait until the new MBs were released. Having been severely disappointed with the models/pricing here in the UK, I decided to try and track down what would happen to the £699 shop stock models that were sent back to Apple. I had read that they would be taken apart and used for parts, but a quick call to my contact at Apple and he confirmed that even though most of them would be taken apart, a small amount would be made available through the Refurb' store fully sealed and brand new as they were in the shops! He said they would start appearing today and would be scattered in at various times over the next 7-14 days, although he couldn't confirm the price.

So, up nice and early this morning to watch the shop - I refreshed the screen a few times at the time I got told they would be appearing (10am) and bingo! Up they popped, 2.4 models for £659 (still there last time I looked) and 2.1 models for a brilliant £529!!!! I double checked the specs and sure enough it was a £699 model so I whacked it in the basket (with a few other things)... Result! :D

http://www.kevinmichaelpowell.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/macbook_purchase.jpg

Even when we had our order confirmed there was still some showing in the store up to an hour later, so I presume there were a couple of them available.

So, for anybody who was hoping for a new entry level macbook at a decent price, who isn't to worried regarding the LED and multi-touch blah blah, keep an eye on the refurb store at 10am each morning, for the next week or so.

:)

From that picture that is not the whitebook they sell now, its the cheapest one from before. It sais Combo drive (unless my eyes fool me) which on the older ones were the one wthout a DVD dual layer burner.

strobeable

Oct 18, 2008, 08:16 AM

Nope no difference at all - these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed & boxed reseller stock that the resellers aren't allowed to sell (apple make them send old stock back to them when new models are announced). :)

But how do you know your particular Macbook is reseller overstock? Your screenshot says "RFB" in front of the model and you haven't even gotten it delivered yet. Curious.

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 08:20 AM

From that picture that is not the whitebook they sell now, its the cheapest one from before. It sais Combo drive (unless my eyes fool me) which on the older ones were the one wthout a DVD dual layer burner.
I know it's the entry level one from before, that's the whole point of this thread and hence why I said it was the £699. ;)

But how do you know your particular Macbook is reseller overstock? Your screenshot says "RFB" in front of the model and you haven't even gotten it delivered yet. Curious.
I did wonder that so I rang up the order line and they confirmed that they have to call it rfrb for legal reasons because technically they are 'returned' items. She said that it is 100% sealed and brand new though because that's all they have coming into stock at the mo'. :)

strobeable

Oct 18, 2008, 08:28 AM

I did wonder that so I rang up the order line and they confirmed that they have to call it rfrb for legal reasons because technically they are 'returned' items. She said that it is 100% sealed and brand new though because that's all they have coming into stock at the mo'. :)

So you actually have to follow it up with a phone call to confirm that your order is new & sealed? Such a great find.

kmpowell

Oct 18, 2008, 08:30 AM

So you actually have to follow it up with a phone call to confirm that your order is new & sealed? Such a great find.
You haven't got to call to confirm, no. I only called because given the information I was passed by my mate at Apple I thought I would double check. :)

adit

Oct 19, 2008, 05:18 AM

Hi All

So, for anybody who was hoping for a new entry level macbook at a decent price, who isn't to worried regarding the LED and multi-touch blah blah, keep an eye on the refurb store at 10am each morning, for the next week or so.

:)

Would you happen to know if they are adding any more today through your contact.....

iBaldy

Oct 19, 2008, 10:29 AM

So for £529 is this a good buy?

kmpowell

Oct 20, 2008, 04:59 AM

Would you happen to know if they are adding any more today through your contact.....
I don't know what specific days it will be, all I was told was "over the next coming week or so".

So for £529 is this a good buy?
Given the crap upgrade to the new 'entry level' whitebook, I think this is a brilliant buy if you can snap one up. As long as you aren't requiring a Superdrive, which let's be honest 99% of people buying this kind of machine aren't, then it's perfect. My girlfriend will be using it for eMail, Internet and Assignment work. Perfect. :)

Gokhan

Oct 20, 2008, 07:25 AM

all you people need to stop sniping and give the op some respect this is a good find and people should take notice as the new mb's are too damn expensive in my opinon

thank you op

p.s for 529 thats a decent deal

kmpowell

Oct 22, 2008, 04:11 AM

iBaldy

Oct 22, 2008, 04:52 AM

hi,saw these the other day,did a bit of Reading around saw this thread & signed up first thing this morning

andyn

Oct 22, 2008, 05:06 AM

Thanks OP, I just ordered a 2.4GHz, 2GB, 160GB white macbook for £659 delivered.

For what I need it is absolutely ideal - i just bought a top of the range imac last month and wanted to replace my 1 year old Vista laptop (which I now hate with a passion!) but have a few budget restraints!

I too was disappointed with the 14th Oct macbooks, specifically their UK pricing and lack of FW (I am not a power user, but do have FW external drives and a FW DV camera), and whilst the aluminium case, new touchpad etc. would be nice..... no way is it worth almost £500 to me - I was even looking at ebay, gumtree etc for a nearly new whitebook when I saw your post and had a look on this morning.

They had loads of stuff in the refurb store, including some really cheap 15" MBPs which were working out at less than the new MBs!

So, thanks again OP!

ClaphamChris

Oct 22, 2008, 05:23 AM

If anybody is interested there are some brand new (you can tell they are brand new because there is no 'Original Price' next to them!) £529 Macbooks in there NOW. :)

http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?sf=w2YF4JXY4AHCAJCDF&nclm=Certified

That's really interesting - is it always, absolutely the case the units without Original price are new and just repackaged into refurb boxes then?

jonnyb

Oct 22, 2008, 05:26 AM

Thank you for the heads up. I just bought one of the white ones for my Dad . He's going to be so pleased with it!

mrklaw

Oct 22, 2008, 05:28 AM

some £1200 17" MBPs too!

I already have a white macbook (2.2 I think), so all this does to me is make me realise its resale value is less than I thought, which means if I buy a new MBP I'll just keep this one and hand it down in the family..

jonnyb

Oct 22, 2008, 05:46 AM

I was considering getting a £529 white for myself but they've all gone already!

adit

Oct 22, 2008, 06:00 AM

I logged on to order the 2.4GHz Macbook.... But ended up ordering the 2.4 MBP for £849.

So since the MBP had the real RRP price above it, does that mean it is definately a refurb!!!

kmpowell

Oct 22, 2008, 06:20 AM

Thank you for the heads up. I just bought one of the white ones for my Dad . He's going to be so pleased with it!
Nice one! - Glad I could help :)

I was considering getting a £529 white for myself but they've all gone already!
Don't fret just yet, my contact told me that more will be added sporadically, so there is still time. Keep an eye on the refurb' store regularly (early morning seems the best time).

So since the MBP had the real RRP price above it, does that mean it is definately a refurb!!!
That's my understanding of it, and what I gleaned from the phonecall I had with Apple CS. Anything with the original RRP above it is a refurb', and anything with just a price is new returned shop stock.

:)

iBaldy

Oct 23, 2008, 02:16 AM

Just to bump this back up again,there are more MacBooks on this morning for anyone that wants one....

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 03:36 AM

OK i'm really tempted by this,

Do you think its worth doing the following?

I have a 2,1 2GHZ C2D which is about early 2007 which is currently in for repair having a new top casing.

I have upgraded the machine to 160GB HD (still have the origional 80gb), 4GB RAM and a superdrive.

Do you think its worth buying this £529 machine and upgrading the RAM,HD and superdrive then putting the lower spec components back into my old macbook and poping it up on eBay to recoup the money spent on purchasing the new machine?

The advantages i see are

1. it'll be a new machine and have 1 years warrenty
2. Its a slightly faster model and will have newer components

kmpowell

Oct 23, 2008, 04:04 AM

Just to bump this back up again,there are more MacBooks on this morning for anyone that wants one....
Yep, there sure are. It looks like they are being loade dup very early morning!

Loads of refurbed stuff, but also the brand new £529 and £659 shop returned models that I was told about.

Go get 'em people! :D

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 04:19 AM

Well i bit the bullet and just brought one.

I've just been back and checked the refurb store and its still showing up so i guess there selling more than 1 at a time.

Hopefully going to get £450 for my older macbook... otherwise my girlfriend is going to kill me!!

Thanks OP

BBC B 32k

Oct 23, 2008, 04:47 AM

I fail to see any for £529. Guess this mornings have sold out.

BBC B 32k

Oct 23, 2008, 04:51 AM

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 05:14 AM

There's still a 2.4ghz for 659 but the extra upmh and a superdrive doesnt equate to being worth £130 if you ask me...

The one i've just ordered will have a 160GB Hard Drive 4GB RAM and i may put the superdrive in it, i don't know yet.. All these parts are coming from my old macbook which i wil sell to pay for this one and enjoy the worry free warrenty that i'll get with the new machine...

adit

Oct 23, 2008, 06:27 AM

So do the £529 and £659 macbooks come in their original boxes still factory sealed or do they come in the brown boxes like other refurbs from apple...

iBaldy

Oct 23, 2008, 06:39 AM

my 2.1 turned up this morning,can't wait to go home now.

iBaldy

Oct 23, 2008, 06:49 AM

So do the £529 and £659 macbooks come in their original boxes still factory sealed or do they come in the brown boxes like other refurbs from apple...

Mine came in the refurb brown box,I don't supose they can sell them as brand new

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 06:55 AM

a quick call to my contact at Apple and he confirmed that even though most of them would be taken apart, a small amount would be made available through the Refurb' store fully sealed and brand new as they were in the shops!

Nope no difference at all - these returned £699's aren't refurbs, they are brand new sealed & boxed reseller stock that the resellers aren't allowed to sell (apple make them send old stock back to them when new models are announced). :)

I thought they would have been in the origional white boxes . . .

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 06:57 AM

my 2.1 turned up this morning,can't wait to go home now.

When did you order yours?

andyn

Oct 23, 2008, 08:16 AM

My 2.4 refurb which i ordered yesterday morning arrived this morning in a brown refurb box but everything looks brand new including the cables, booklets etc.

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 08:28 AM

wow, fast turnaround then... I ordered mine at 8:15 this morning and it says prepared for shipment...

Bakey

Oct 23, 2008, 08:37 AM

Well good luck, but for the price Apple wants for one of them I am confident there are far, far better products on the market.

I'm always intrigued as to what difficulties people have experienced with the Mighty Mouse - myself, like others, have never had a problem with the wired version. Although, the wireless version was a truly dreadful experience!

It constantly forgot what the right mouse button was and the only way for it to remember was to disconnect and re-connect or log-out/log-in... Needless to say it was on eBay very shortly after the purchase!

iBaldy

Oct 23, 2008, 08:48 AM

When did you order yours?

I ordered early yesturday morning & got it today,delivered to work.

JG271

Oct 23, 2008, 08:55 AM

my 2.1 turned up this morning,can't wait to go home now.

Damn! My 2.1 from the standard store is going to come this time next week, ordered last thursday! I guess i did get an ipod and dvi-vga... still shouldn't take so long though!

Gee4orce

Oct 23, 2008, 09:18 AM

I'm always intrigued as to what difficulties people have experienced with the Mighty Mouse - myself, like others, have never had a problem with the wired version. Although, the wireless version was a truly dreadful experience!

It constantly forgot what the right mouse button was and the only way for it to remember was to disconnect and re-connect or log-out/log-in... Needless to say it was on eBay very shortly after the purchase!

I have two of the wireless ones and I've never had a problem with them at all. In fact, using the Mighty Mouse cured my RSI - which I think had been caused by a succession of so-called ergonomic Logitech mice.

I bought a refurb Air this week. Ordered Sunday, delivered Tuesday (in a white, unbranded box). Everything - including the computer - is absolutely brand new as far as I can tell.

Refurbs have more thorough testing than the normal retail units. I'm not sure I'd ever buy an off-the-shelf Mac again, the refurbs are such a bargain.

leighonigar

Oct 23, 2008, 09:36 AM

As a side note, someone on a thread here a few days ago included a link to their uni store. Had a sneaky peek and the new :rolleyes: £729 white macbook was available for £620 so for £529 the loss of a super drive that will never be used is a great deal.

Also had the low spec alu macbook for £800 - almost at the price I would pay. I may just wait until after Macworld in Jan 09 as I think that they will stop selling the white macbook and introduce a cheap alu macbook (no superdrive :D).

I do believe that you get a three year warranty from the UK HE store though, at least you used to (confirmed recently when I phoned apple about my keyboard breaking and they said that my mini had 700 days of warranty left. Woo).

starman0147

Oct 23, 2008, 09:43 AM

Does anyone know if the printer or ipod nano deal applies with the refurbs :confused:

jonnyb

Oct 23, 2008, 10:42 AM

The white 2.1Ghz MacBook I ordered for my Dad yesterday arrived this lunchtime and I've ordered myself one now too.

A teeny bit disappointed that there's no new box but only because I love that box opening moment. But no big deal - I'm really happy with these bargains.

In other good news I realised that the 1GB stick I took out of my iMac when I maxxed it out at 4GB will work in the new MacBook. I've order another 1GB stick so I'll be bumping the MacBook to 2GB RAM for only £11. Happy!

Thanks to the OP again for the tip.

iBaldy

Oct 23, 2008, 10:52 AM

Does anyone know if the printer or ipod nano deal applies with the refurbs :confused:

I wouldn't think so tbh

jamin100

Oct 23, 2008, 10:52 AM

Well after ordering this morning mine has now shipped and is expected in tomorrow..

Luckily i have the day off too!

adit

Oct 23, 2008, 01:12 PM

Does anyone know if the printer or ipod nano deal applies with the refurbs :confused:

You can get the printer but not the ipod is what they told me on the online help....

cymrulp

Oct 23, 2008, 03:18 PM

I tried to get one but they are selling out quickly.

I got John Lewis to price match PC World so I ended up with Macbook White 2.1ghz with 2 year warranty for £649

Bwilky

Oct 23, 2008, 04:18 PM

Is this only in the UK? Their selling the white books in apple stores in Canada.

jonnyb

Oct 23, 2008, 04:35 PM

kmpowell

Oct 23, 2008, 05:05 PM

Well I got the MacBook home that i ordered for my Dad. I'm pretty pleased with it but I'm not convinced these are brand new store returns. Besides the lack of proper box...

1. There was no poly sheet between the screen and the keyboard when I opened it up and the two protruding bits of plastic on the lid have made a slight mark near the palm rests where they make contact.

2. There are more scratches on the bottom than I'd expect with a brand new machine (though still not that noticeable, I suppose).
I'm sorry to hear that - I feel a bit guilty cos I gave you the info. :(

For what it's worth ours came in a brown box (they all do for legal reasons, but they are sent back to the factory from the shops unopened), but it did have all the protective plastic covering/wrapping and sheets on/in it, so there is no doubt ours is 100% brand new and not a refurb. All the cables etc are still in their brand new unused state too.

Perhaps it's pot luck, but that does go slightly against what I was told and what others have reported on here :confused:

jonnyb

Oct 23, 2008, 05:14 PM

I'm sorry to hear that - I feel a bit guilty cos I gave you the info. :(

For what it's worth ours came in a brown box (they all do for legal reasons, but they are sent back to the factory from the shops unopened), but it did have all the protective plastic covering/wrapping and sheets on/in it, so there is no doubt ours is 100% brand new and not a refurb. All the cables etc are still in their brand new unused state too.

Perhaps it's pot luck, but that does go slightly against what I was told and what others have reported on here :confused:

Don't feel bad - the Macbook still looks very good - I'm just extremely nitpicky. It does rather take away from that box-fresh feeling you get but at the end of the day a white Macbook is going to get marks on it. It's just that *I* like to be the one marking it!

Who knows - the one that arrives tomorrow may be in even better condition. If its not I'm still happy that I saw your thread.

cheers

citywalk

Oct 23, 2008, 09:18 PM

Oh, this is very tempting. Its just a shame you cant get the education discount on the refurb store or my card would be out! Id be going for the £659 model, I do need the DVD burner.

With that in mind I can get a new £720 mac for £630. And now i have a descision to make, Do i gamble on the fact a refurb may be new.

TyloBedo

Oct 23, 2008, 09:26 PM

Keep in mind those ones include COMBO drives and not superdrives- basically they can't burn dvds (aple added super drives without telling anyone to the new entry level ones)

citywalk

Oct 23, 2008, 09:53 PM

Keep in mind those ones include COMBO drives and not superdrives- basically they can't burn dvds (aple added super drives without telling anyone to the new entry level ones)

The £659 (refurb) one does have a superdrive

TyloBedo

Oct 23, 2008, 09:59 PM

The £659 (refurb) one does have a superdrive

yes he is talking about the lower end one. and they aren't refurbed they are "overstock" older models new in box that didn't sell in time

citywalk

Oct 23, 2008, 09:59 PM

Did a few calculations and the equivalent *new* macbook without HE discount is £804 and just over £700 with discount

citywalk

Oct 23, 2008, 10:03 PM

Yeah id happily part with the money if I was assured by Apple it wasn't essentially a customer return

iBaldy

Oct 24, 2008, 02:45 AM

Well I got the MacBook home that i ordered for my Dad. I'm pretty pleased with it but I'm not convinced these are brand new store returns. Besides the lack of proper box...

1. There was no poly sheet between the screen and the keyboard when I opened it up and the two protruding bits of plastic on the lid have made a slight mark near the palm rests where they make contact.Same here,it came in a poly bag thing but nothing between the screen & keyboard,i also have the slight marking from the lid

2. There are more scratches on the bottom than I'd expect with a brand new machine (though still not that noticeable, I suppose).

I'm going to compare with the other one I ordered which should arrive tomorrow. I'll keep the best one and give the other to my Dad.

What? He's not as obsessive/compulsive as me! He won't even notice. :)

For the money though i am VERY pleased,its my first Mac,so a bit of learning for me

Moks

Oct 24, 2008, 02:54 AM

So I checked this morning (7.30 am actually) & there was a 659 pound 2.4 Ghz macbook - so I quickly snapped it up. Highly p*****d off about lack of firewire in new alubooks so these seemed my best option. :)

It's replacing my 1.2 GHz G4 iBook in which the firewire has died - this has served me well for 4 years, & I'm hoping for similar service from my new Macbook. :D

kmpowell

Oct 24, 2008, 04:20 AM

Ok guys - under the circumstances I feel I should post a slight advisory.

It would appear that although the majority of people have received the brand new shop stock returned models I said they would, there have been a few instances where people have received refurbed Macbooks instead.

So be aware when ordering that there is a slight risk you may not get a shop stock returned Macbook (not that is necessarily a bad thing though if you can live with the odd mark).

Apologies :(

Fat Man Hackett

Oct 24, 2008, 04:30 AM

Hang on... Are people moaning that they're getting refurbished products from the "refurb" store. COME ON APPLE - THIS IS A DISGRACE!!!

:D

robe

Oct 24, 2008, 05:13 AM

Is there any benchmarking out there on the old Macbook 2.2 vs new Macbook 2.0 (or similar)?

I've had a search around here / google but no luck.

jonnyb

Oct 24, 2008, 05:29 AM

Hang on... Are people moaning that they're getting refurbished products from the "refurb" store. COME ON APPLE - THIS IS A DISGRACE!!!

:D

You've missed the point a bit. We were hoping we'd be getting brand new, never touched Macbooks that were returned shop stock now that the new MacBooks are out.

Anyway, I got my second one just now and it has more marks on it than my first one. So my Dad will get this one or I may send this one back and wait it out.

jamin100

Oct 24, 2008, 11:29 AM

Just got mine today and although this is definatly a refurb and not a brand new machine its still in A1 condition, The foot on the bottom of the battery was VERY dirty but with a quick wipe over it looks like new.

Still think i got a bargin and once i've swapped all the drives and RAM from my older macbook it'll fly :)

Moks

Oct 24, 2008, 01:23 PM

Don't really care if mine is new or refurb as long as it's in good nick. 659 quid for something that cost 829 a couple of weeks ago seems pretty good to me, and it's got firewire :D

jonnyb

Oct 24, 2008, 02:05 PM

I'm just setting up my WhiteBook, downloading updates and stuff and I'm actually very, very pleased with it. Slight marks aside I'm really pleased with such a great bargain. I really like the white minimalism of the design. Now I'm not tethered to my iMac on the desk.

I'm setting up my Dad's one next Saturday and then I'll be able to help him with screen sharing - a feature I'm really looking forward to using with him as he's not very experienced with computers. The idea of being able to help him with stuff from 50 miles away is fantasic.

Bought a nice Tucano sleeve for it today to keep it nice.

And I got my boss to stump up for MS Office for use at work. Excellent!

Fat Man Hackett

Oct 25, 2008, 03:53 AM

You've missed the point a bit. We were hoping we'd be getting brand new, never touched Macbooks that were returned shop stock now that the new MacBooks are out.

Not wanting to be funny - it's called the Refurb store. If you're getting a brand new machine, then that's a bonus, but you shouldn't expect anything other than a refubished machine. I was lucky to get a 3rd gen iPod back in the day from the refurb store (saving £100 - meaning that it cost me £300!) that was brsnd new, but I understood that I was buying a used product (hence the saving). The fact that it was new was an added bonus.

chrisiw

Oct 25, 2008, 04:19 AM

I logged on to order the 2.4GHz Macbook.... But ended up ordering the 2.4 MBP for £849.

So since the MBP had the real RRP price above it, does that mean it is definately a refurb!!!That seems a good deal I think, and when I upgrade my white MacBook I think I will look at the offers at that time on refurbs available. I dont think the new Alum MacBooks are worth the money that Apple wants, and I would never pay that for a notebook.
Time will show if they have to lower the prices.

jonnyb

Oct 25, 2008, 05:05 AM

Not wanting to be funny - it's called the Refurb store. If you're getting a brand new machine, then that's a bonus, but you shouldn't expect anything other than a refubished machine. I was lucky to get a 3rd gen iPod back in the day from the refurb store (saving £100 - meaning that it cost me £300!) that was brsnd new, but I understood that I was buying a used product (hence the saving). The fact that it was new was an added bonus.

You're missing the point again. The reason I clicked 'buy' was because, based on inside info, the OP said these were new machines. I was a little disappointed to find they weren't.

Or to put it another way the OP was saying 'Despite it being called the refurb store, these machine are not refurbs so buy, buy, buy!'

Ergo, I was a little disappointed to find they were refurbs.

Or to put it another way I didn't get exactly what I'd been led to believe I'd be getting.

Or...whatever. It's pretty simple. I hope I've managed to explain the reasons for my (slight) disappointment. Of course, if I had never read this thread I would absolutely expect that the refurb store sells refurbs.

But, ultimately, I'm happy with my purchases. So hooray, yeah?

kmpowell

Oct 25, 2008, 05:36 AM

Or to put it another way I didn't get exactly what I'd been led to believe I'd be getting.
I feel really bad about this, so this morning I contacted my friend at Apple to find out exactly what's what. He said that the shop stock was 100% being moved out through the refurb store, so for you to receive 2x refurbed models is very bad luck. There are some refurbed models being pushed through and these are machines that people have returned through the 30 day exchange program that is active when new moels are launched i.e. If you'd bought a Macbook just before the new models were launched you are entitled to send it back and swap for a new model.

Based on what has happened to you though I have edited my original post accordingly becasue I don't want others to be left dissapointed. But, I would like to make it clear that my information was correct, being that returned Shop Stock is being sold through the Refurb store - I got one and so have a few others, so it would appear to be Pot Luck as if you get one or not.

:(

jamin100

Oct 25, 2008, 07:46 AM

mines a refurb model but I'm not dissapointed. It's a macbok 4,1 from early 2008 so this is still the latest of the old MacBooks.

There are no marks on it at all so it's only me that'll know it's a refurb anyway

molala

Oct 25, 2008, 06:54 PM

They still may get stock. I noticed they update the Apple Store refurb section after midnight (12.30am or so) Tues to Sat. The Macbooks have been getting sold old out by early morning. I had to stay up late Tues night to order the £659 model. There was no sheet between the screen and the keyboard and there was some debris around the laptop, so I think it had been opened before but the Mac still looked scratch-free. Unfortunately, there are some very slight bumps/gaps above the ports and left of the screen (two other Macbooks at work are perfect in comparison) so I called the Apple Store. They said I could return it within 14 days, so I have some time to see first if that doesn't get any worse.