Refurb Qualities and Battery Life

[Tom8]

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I'm considering buying a Refurb of the Early 2010 MacBook Pro from Apple and have a couple of quick questions.

1) What aesthetic quality can I expect?
Does anyone have any images of refurbs they have purchased so I can see?
2) Do Apple replace the batteries in there Refurbs, so I'll get a maximised battery life?
3) What are the main reason people generally have for sending their MacBook back so Apple can make it a refurb?


Thanks in advance.

 

[d88co88]

1. My refurb was in great condition! No scratches, no dents, no nothing. Mine came with a logic board issue, but I scored a brand new one out of them without spending a penny.

2. No idea if they replace the batteries, sorry. Some people have said they have a cycle or two on it when it comes.

3. People send it back/return it because there is a defective part that apple replaces and tests. Therefore becoming a refurb. Sometimes they sell extra stock as refurb too just to get it off their hands.

 

[Tom8]

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1. My refurb was in great condition! No scratches, no dents, no nothing. Mine came with a logic board issue, but I scored a brand new one out of them without spending a penny.

2. No idea if they replace the batteries, sorry. Some people have said they have a cycle or two on it when it comes.

3. People send it back/return it because there is a defective part that apple replaces and tests. Therefore becoming a refurb. Sometimes they sell extra stock as refurb too just to get it off their hands.

You say your MacBook came with a logicboard issue, did apple repair this issue before they sold the MacBook on, or did they sell it with the defect?

 

[GGJstudios]

Apple Certified Refurbished Products
MacRumors Guides: Apple Refurbished Store

 

[Tom8]

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I've read those webpages, that's what prompted my question. The webpages don't mention batteries. I wanted to know peoples general experiences with quality. And was unsure why people returned their products.

 

[GGJstudios]

I've read those webpages, that's what prompted my question.

If you read them, you would know the answer to your question:

You say your MacBook came with a logicboard issue, did apple repair this issue before they sold the MacBook on, or did they sell it with the defect?

Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:

• is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
• is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.

 

[Tom8]

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And if you read his post you would see the poster had said their MacBook 'came with a logicboard issue' hence my question.

 

[carlyinoz]

Here's some (crappy iphone) pics of my 4 week old refurb 15" i5 2.4 GHz. Not a scratch on it, you wouldn't know it wasn't brand new unless I told you. No issues encountered so far, but if any do eventuate it's great to know it has the same warranty as a new one (First thing I did was insure it against accidents or theft and I plan to buy Applecare within the year, I'm in it for the long haul!). I honestly can't see why you'd pay an extra $400 for a new one when this is perfect!

I talked to a guy at the Apple store before buying and he said a lot are practically brand new, returned by people who change their mind about Mac or choose to upgrade or downgrade once they receive theirs. I'm guessing quite a few are returned within the 14 day window and since they've hardly been used the discount is awesome. I've also read that some refurbs may be more reliable because they get hand-inspected (rather than coming off an assembly line) and any issues dealt with before you get your hands on it - remembering of course than even new macs can have issues. If the warranty system was different to new I'd be more wary but it really gives you nothing to worry about I would never have found refurbs had I not discovered places like MacRumors & Whirlpool (Aussie site) and I'm relieved I did because I couldn't have afforded a 15" new.

 

[Tom8]

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Here's some (crappy iphone) pics of my 4 week old refurb 15" i5 2.4 GHz. Not a scratch on it, you wouldn't know it wasn't brand new unless I told you. No issues encountered so far, but if any do eventuate it's great to know it has the same warranty as a new one (First thing I did was insure it against accidents or theft and I plan to buy Applecare within the year, I'm in it for the long haul!). I honestly can't see why you'd pay an extra $400 for a new one when this is perfect!

I talked to a guy at the Apple store before buying and he said a lot are practically brand new, returned by people who change their mind about Mac or choose to upgrade or downgrade once they receive theirs. I'm guessing quite a few are returned within the 14 day window and since they've hardly been used the discount is awesome. I've also read that some refurbs may be more reliable because they get hand-inspected (rather than coming off an assembly line) and any issues dealt with before you get your hands on it - remembering of course than even new macs can have issues. If the warranty system was different to new I'd be more wary but it really gives you nothing to worry about I would never have found refurbs had I not discovered places like MacRumors & Whirlpool (Aussie site) and I'm relieved I did because I couldn't have afforded a 15" new.

Thanks a lot for the info, your experiences and the other previous poster have made my mind up and I'll you for the Refurbed MacBook Pro 13"
Excited!

 

[miata]

I've done a handful of Apple refurbs and couldn't tell them from new except for the color of the box.

 

[smeg36]

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Thanks a lot for the info, your experiences and the other previous poster have made my mind up and I'll you for the Refurbed MacBook Pro 13"
Excited!

That's what I got, and couldn't be happier. It looked brand new. Had 10 cycles on the battery. If you have a Discover Card don't forget to use the 5% cash back to save some money.

 

[Tom8]

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One final question
Do the refurbs come with the operating system and iLife etc preinstalled?

 

[Bebel]

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One final question
Do the refurbs come with the operating system and iLife etc preinstalled?

Yes.

 

[d88co88]

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One final question
Do the refurbs come with the operating system and iLife etc preinstalled?

They come with everything a new mac would come with, except the fancy box.

 

[Tom8]

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Ordering it tomorrow!
Thanks guys