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Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

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Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum.

M4-Mac-mini-Apple-Video.jpg

In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.

The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559. This means a refurbished Mac mini with an M2 chip is currently $50 more expensive than a refurbished Mac mini with an M4 chip, despite other key specs being equal. That's a bad buy.

The underlying reason for this situation is that Apple increased the minimum amount of RAM included in Macs from 8GB to 16GB last year, at no additional cost. When new, the Mac mini with the M2 chip started at $799 when upgraded to 16GB of RAM, whereas the latest Mac mini now comes with 16GB of RAM by default for just $599. Apple has not revised its refurbished Mac mini prices enough to account for this difference.

Article Link: Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/13/apple-refurbished-mac-mini-pricing-problem/
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doesn’t the refurbished store just show what they have in stock?
I remember it being a controversy that there were 2013 Mac Pros still available on there in 2023, for almost full price.
Up until like last year, they were still selling iPad eighth generations from 2020, for $250. You can literally buy the iPad 10 for that same price at Best Buy.
 
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There isn't perfect logic in Apple pricing. They price things as they wish and where things conflict, people rationalize the differences or not. If not, Apple might adjust another day... or dump inventory into third party store deals where pricing can be cut without it looking like Apple themselves cut pricing lower than "normal" (for refurb).

Upgrade RAM & storage and see the conflicts of Mini core specs vs. Mac Studio.

Apple RAM vs. market RAM? Apple SSD vs. market SSD? $1000 monitor stand? $600 wheels? $20 hanky? Etc.

ASD used to be the same monitor with a whole Mac built inside for ASD pricing. Isn't it illogical (through our consumer lens) to jettison the computer + keyboard + mouse but leave the price the same? And yet, we fall all over ourselves to not just pay iMac price for a noMac screen but also passionately rationalize it to each other like it's the one and only monitor anyone should consider.

Pricing in general can be a mess across the lines. But this is nothing new and they've become richest company in the world at times on the same sort of thing. Until customers as a group opt to STOP buying over illogical pricing, Apple just keeps banking "another record quarter" over and over again. How can they see anything wrong with anything while the revenue keeps pouring in at record levels?

If the goal is to make a logical argument for a bigger discount on M2 Mini, Apple- if they wanted to address this- might go the other way and fix it by RAISING the price of M4. This latter option nets them MORE money so it's not like it takes a lot of persuasion to get them to choose more money over less. In many decisions, it seems like its towards ALL they care about anymore. 💰💰💰
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Very odd indeed

Nobody should be buying those base M2's at those prices

Apple maybe needs a non first party channel to offload those at lower prices

(see: eBay)
Click to expand...
On the other hand, the M4 prices are in some cases, ridiculously good.
MBP with 24 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage for only $100 more than the retail price of the base model? That’s pretty good.
 
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In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.

The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559.
Click to expand...
The M2 Mac mini is more expensive because it has a bigger aluminum body/enclosure than the M4 Mac mini. Were you expecting Apple to not charge you for that extra aluminum?
 
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IceCool said:
Not to mention that you could get a brand new M4 Mac Mini for $499 via Education Discount online…
Click to expand...

That is the real "problem". Good for consumers to get brand new, with no verification, for that price, but why would anyone choose refurb?
 
turbineseaplane said:
Very odd indeed

Nobody should be buying those base M2's at those prices

Apple maybe needs a non first party channel to offload those at lower prices

(see: eBay)
Click to expand...
Or Walmart to go along with the M1 MacBook Air, I bet they would sell like crazy at even $399.
 
Aeronauts said:
The drip drip release policy has left their product matrix in a complete mess.
Click to expand...
We knew it was bad when the M4 hit the iPad Pro first, a device that clearly didn't need it first.

iPad Pros should have the option to "boot camp" into macOS. Give it something special for the $1000+ they cost. It's a niche device intended for Pros. Let the Airs/base iPads not run macOS -- nobody expects it for $299 but for $1299? I sure do.
 
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While I wouldn't go for it, I'm sure there are some who choose the M2 Mac mini over the M4 because they need that form factor, or the legacy ports without a dongle etc.
 
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