Seal broken on new iMac

RMH23 · Dec 2, 2012, 06:57 AM

Hi Mac gurus,

I've just purchased my first iMac and am looking for some opinions from some people with more apple experience than I......

So I bought myself a new 21.5" iMac this weekend. When I went to open it I started by pulling the clear tape off the top of the box. But under this layer of tape I found another layer of tape which had already been cut. I'm not sure what to make of this. There was nothing at all suspicious about the top layer of tape - it looked just like you'd expect on a new product. But having the second layer that had already been cut makes me think that it had already been opened for some reason.

I'm in Australia and they became available on Friday and I purchased mine on Saturday morning so I wouldn't have thought something would have been returned by then.

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on this?

RMH23 · Dec 2, 2012, 07:18 AM

Here's a photo in case my description wasn't clear. The peeled off tape is the mess on the top, and if you look closely you can see a second layer of tape that has been cut.

digitalfailure · Dec 2, 2012, 07:34 AM

The retailer could have opened it for a look at the new product, or apple themselves might have re opened it for some reason. Was any of the other packing tampered with ?

aquaboy · Dec 2, 2012, 07:35 AM

The retailer may have put a security tag inside the box

Tom J · Dec 2, 2012, 07:35 AM

That is unusual. I assume you bought it at an apple store?
Did the interior appear to be repackaged? The protective films on the screen and such can be impossible to put back on cleanly once they're taken off.
Did you get the Mac startup movie when you turned it on?

simsaladimbamba · Dec 2, 2012, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom J

Did you get the Mac startup movie when you turned it on?

The WELCOME video has been gone since Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

intz2nu · Dec 2, 2012, 07:38 AM

Anything that was double taped is NOT new, it was open previously. Could have been by someone else or by the store it came from. I once purchased an iMac from a local Mac outlet store and came across the owner selling me a used unit thinking I wouldn't be able to tell it was previously opened. Well the trick was on him when it went right back as I discovered it was previously opened.

The store could have looked at rushing to collect your money and selling you a display unit being its a newly released item. This would be the most logic thing. I highly doubt that a customer took it back being these things just came out and not even every Apple store has one on display.

strongs · Dec 2, 2012, 07:44 AM

Personally I would take it straight back. I'd hate to think someone else (other than the people that assembled it of course) had used or even touched my iMac before me.

RMH23 · Dec 2, 2012, 07:44 AM

I actually didn't proceed any further once I noticed the cut tape. It was 11pm on sunday night at that stage so I thought I'd wait til the morning when I could ring the Apple Store where I bought it so I could hear what they had to say about it.

I'll check out the rest of the packaging first thing in the morning though.

Thanks for the replies!

mushroomtip · Dec 2, 2012, 07:45 AM

if you feel uncomfortable , go back an exchange it . Im assuming you were paying for a brand new sealed product in which case you did not get. I wont by a product if the box has a crinkle in any of the corners , but that just might be my OCD in action. bring it back if its gonna bother you . as soon as you see a glitch you will start obsessing that you bought a returned product.

strongs · Dec 2, 2012, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mushroomtip

<snip> I wont by a product if the box has a crinkle in any of the corners , but that just might be my OCD in action. <snip>.

lol me too!

if you think about it though theres nothing wrong with this afterall for a box to have accumulated crinkles / creases it couldn't of been handled with care or stored correctly

mushroomtip · Dec 2, 2012, 07:54 AM

when paying a mint , I expect to get it in Mint .

IGregory · 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMH23

Hi Mac gurus,

I've just purchased my first iMac and am looking for some opinions from some people with more apple experience than I......

So I bought myself a new 21.5" iMac this weekend. When I went to open it I started by pulling the clear tape off the top of the box. But under this layer of tape I found another layer of tape which had already been cut. I'm not sure what to make of this. There was nothing at all suspicious about the top layer of tape - it looked just like you'd expect on a new product. But having the second layer that had already been cut makes me think that it had already been opened for some reason.

I'm in Australia and they became available on Friday and I purchased mine on Saturday morning so I wouldn't have thought something would have been returned by then.

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on this?

There could be any number of reasons why the seal was broken. But, I seriously doubt the machine has been used in anyway. Apple just released it. Its not like it was previously sold and returned. The cellophane attached to the face of the monitor screen, once removed, is almost impossible to reattach without you noticing it. Also, check the power cord. I don't know about anyone else but I have never been able to roll the power cord on any new product back to the way the factory rolled it. These are two tale-tale signs that the unit has been used if they are disturbed.

If you have used it and it works fine, keep it.

Michaelgtrusa · Dec 2, 2012, 09:00 AM

Contact them and return it.

Tri-stan · Dec 2, 2012, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMH23

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on this?

What I would do is get it out of the box and take a look at what the iMac looks like. Don't sent it back right away. You may have a good machine inside. Sometimes I have bought something in an immaculate box only to find out that the product inside is marked or not manufactured properly. In most cases unless the box is really damaged you cannot tell what the product is going to be like inside.

I would recommend that once open check the whole machiene for finger prints marks etc, packaging being opened, protective films being peeled off, cables out of their loom. Once you get it out it will be obvious if anybody other than Apple have messed around with it. If you find out it has been messed with then you are well within your rights to send it back. But before then check it out. You don't know, you may have one with a good screen.

stijntje113 · Dec 3, 2012, 09:24 AM

Hello,

Is it just clear tape or some kind of seal tape? (with a logo?)
I work at a medical company. And we do inspections on the products.
Therefore we need to take of the seal label and after inspecting it we will pack it again and put a new one on it. (with a logo)
Maybe that's the case at your mac...

randy98mtu · Dec 3, 2012, 09:34 AM

My first iMac was like this, but it was the Apple Store that opened it to slip in an "up to date" disc for iLife. Personally, if the cords are still wound like they were from the factory and none of the tape around the computer is broken, it's new. Infinite reasons for 2 layers of tape to be on there.

maxira · Dec 3, 2012, 09:37 AM

I did not understand if the new iMac or the previous one, because the box seems to be that old

uptownnyc · Dec 3, 2012, 01:08 PM

Did you buy it with the trackpad? Didn't they previously pre-package em with the mouse, and swap them out in-store if you decided you wanted the trackpad instead? Seem to remember reading that somewhere.

mokeiko · Dec 3, 2012, 04:45 PM

OP, if you're uncomfortable with the double tape, go back and get it exchanged. I once purchased a MacBook Pro that had the double tape and had it exchanged on the spot at the Apple Store.

mokeiko

Fishrrman · Dec 4, 2012, 09:28 AM

Could this by chance be one of those new iMacs (discussed elsewhere in this forum) that may have had some assembly in China, with additional assembly or modifications performed here in the USA?

Does it say "assembled in USA" on it anywhere?

In that case, it may have come from China with the first layer of "sealed" tape, which was then cut for the additional work, and then re-sealed.

Have you booted it up?
Was there ANY evidence at bootup that it had been previously used?

Dec 2, 2012, 06:57 AM	#1
RMH23 macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2012	Seal broken on new iMac Hi Mac gurus, I've just purchased my first iMac and am looking for some opinions from some people with more apple experience than I...... So I bought myself a new 21.5" iMac this weekend. When I went to open it I started by pulling the clear tape off the top of the box. But under this layer of tape I found another layer of tape which had already been cut. I'm not sure what to make of this. There was nothing at all suspicious about the top layer of tape - it looked just like you'd expect on a new product. But having the second layer that had already been cut makes me think that it had already been opened for some reason. I'm in Australia and they became available on Friday and I purchased mine on Saturday morning so I wouldn't have thought something would have been returned by then. Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on this?
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:18 AM	#2
RMH23 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Dec 2012	Here's a photo in case my description wasn't clear. The peeled off tape is the mess on the top, and if you look closely you can see a second layer of tape that has been cut. Attached Thumbnails
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:44 AM	#8
strongs macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: United Kingdom	Personally I would take it straight back. I'd hate to think someone else (other than the people that assembled it of course) had used or even touched my iMac before me. __________________ strongs ______________________________________________________________________ iPhone 5 16GB Black/Slate : iPad Mini 16GB White/Silver : iMac 2012 21.5" 2.7GHZ i5
	2

Dec 2, 2012, 09:00 AM	#14
Michaelgtrusa macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Everywhere And Nowhere	Contact them and return it. __________________ iMACAll life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. TWITTER TUMBLR
	0

Dec 3, 2012, 09:24 AM	#16
stijntje113 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2012	Seal label Hello, Is it just clear tape or some kind of seal tape? (with a logo?) I work at a medical company. And we do inspections on the products. Therefore we need to take of the seal label and after inspecting it we will pack it again and put a new one on it. (with a logo) Maybe that's the case at your mac...
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:34 AM	#3
digitalfailure macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2012	The retailer could have opened it for a look at the new product, or apple themselves might have re opened it for some reason. Was any of the other packing tampered with ?
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:35 AM	#4
aquaboy macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2011	The retailer may have put a security tag inside the box
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:35 AM	#5
Tom J macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Midwest	That is unusual. I assume you bought it at an apple store? Did the interior appear to be repackaged? The protective films on the screen and such can be impossible to put back on cleanly once they're taken off. Did you get the Mac startup movie when you turned it on?
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:38 AM	#7
intz2nu macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2012	Anything that was double taped is NOT new, it was open previously. Could have been by someone else or by the store it came from. I once purchased an iMac from a local Mac outlet store and came across the owner selling me a used unit thinking I wouldn't be able to tell it was previously opened. Well the trick was on him when it went right back as I discovered it was previously opened. The store could have looked at rushing to collect your money and selling you a display unit being its a newly released item. This would be the most logic thing. I highly doubt that a customer took it back being these things just came out and not even every Apple store has one on display.
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:45 AM	#10
mushroomtip macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2012	if you feel uncomfortable , go back an exchange it . Im assuming you were paying for a brand new sealed product in which case you did not get. I wont by a product if the box has a crinkle in any of the corners , but that just might be my OCD in action. bring it back if its gonna bother you . as soon as you see a glitch you will start obsessing that you bought a returned product.
	0

Dec 2, 2012, 07:54 AM	#12
mushroomtip macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2012	when paying a mint , I expect to get it in Mint .
	0

Dec 3, 2012, 09:34 AM	#17
randy98mtu macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2009	My first iMac was like this, but it was the Apple Store that opened it to slip in an "up to date" disc for iLife. Personally, if the cords are still wound like they were from the factory and none of the tape around the computer is broken, it's new. Infinite reasons for 2 layers of tape to be on there.
	0

Dec 3, 2012, 09:37 AM	#18
maxira macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2012	I did not understand if the new iMac or the previous one, because the box seems to be that old
	0

Dec 3, 2012, 01:08 PM	#19
uptownnyc macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2011	Did you buy it with the trackpad? Didn't they previously pre-package em with the mouse, and swap them out in-store if you decided you wanted the trackpad instead? Seem to remember reading that somewhere.
	0

Dec 3, 2012, 04:45 PM	#20
mokeiko macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2007	OP, if you're uncomfortable with the double tape, go back and get it exchanged. I once purchased a MacBook Pro that had the double tape and had it exchanged on the spot at the Apple Store. mokeiko
	0

Dec 4, 2012, 09:28 AM	#21
Fishrrman macrumors 68020 Join Date: Feb 2009	Could this by chance be one of those new iMacs (discussed elsewhere in this forum) that may have had some assembly in China, with additional assembly or modifications performed here in the USA? Does it say "assembled in USA" on it anywhere? In that case, it may have come from China with the first layer of "sealed" tape, which was then cut for the additional work, and then re-sealed. Have you booted it up? Was there ANY evidence at bootup that it had been previously used?
	0

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