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marcusalwayswins

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 23, 2021
450
83
Can someone please tell me let’s say if I am buying a used MacBook Air what are the key things that I need to check in it to understand the kind of wear and tear that has happened in it, in terms of screen quality, battery, life, and other things are there any websites or any tools by which I can diagnose the amount of usage and wear and tear that has already happened on the device ?
 
Ask for the owner to do this in your presence before you give your money:

Go to system settings, and use the "erase all content and settings" option to wipe the drive and restore it to "moment zero". Then set up a new account (for demonstration purposes) with a username and password known to you.

Then, take it into your hands, and AGAIN use the erase all content and settings option, and see if you can get it back to "moment zero" again.

If it can do that, might be worth spending money on.
 
Ask for the owner to do this in your presence before you give your money:

Go to system settings, and use the "erase all content and settings" option to wipe the drive and restore it to "moment zero". Then set up a new account (for demonstration purposes) with a username and password known to you.

Then, take it into your hands, and AGAIN use the erase all content and settings option, and see if you can get it back to "moment zero" again.

If it can do that, might be worth spending money on.

That is almost not a problem.
But I was asking from a Cosmetic and Hardware Point of view his do I verify how much is the machine gone through wear and Tear ? And what is the current battery condition ?
 
But I was asking from a Cosmetic and Hardware Point of view his do I verify how much is the machine gone through wear and Tear ? And what is the current battery condition ?
Other than looking for, seeing scrapes, scratches, dents, stripped screws, etc:


And the instructions @Fishrrman outlined should uncover any Activation Lock or MDM enrollment.
 
So the Machine I am getting is a M1 MacBook Air with 8 Core CPU with 8 Core GPU and with 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM has had about 25 Battery Cycles only (Max is 1000) is in a good condition. At $630 USD.

How would you guys say the deal is ?
 
So the Machine I am getting is a M1 MacBook Air with 8 Core CPU with 8 Core GPU and with 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM has had about 25 Battery Cycles only (Max is 1000) is in a good condition. At $630 USD.

How would you guys say the deal is ?
It seemed like an okay price — the MSRP was $999 in Nov 2020. Although, after doing a quick search, it appears Best Buy has refurbished units for as low as $500.


Best Buy is an Apple Authorized Service Provider. I’ve never purchased a “Geek Squad Certified Refurbished” item. However, I’ve had good experiences with “Open Box - Excellent” Apple products (e.g., Apple Watch, Apple TV).
 
It seemed like an okay price — the MSRP was $999 in Nov 2020. Although, after doing a quick search, it appears Best Buy has refurbished units for as low as $500.


Best Buy is an Apple Authorized Service Provider. I’ve never purchased a “Geek Squad Certified Refurbished” item. However, I’ve had good experiences with “Open Box - Excellent” Apple products (e.g., Apple Watch, Apple TV).

I am not in the U.S
 
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