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This seems like a great deal with the education discount:
The education discount cannot be applied to refurbished models.

Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.

Apple Certified Refurbished Products are pre-owned Apple products that undergo Apple's stringent refurbishment process prior to being offered for sale. While only some units are returned due to technical issues, all units undergo Apple's stringent quality refurbishment process.
Click the link in that quote for more details on the refurbishment process.
  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are available online from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold in local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.
 
The education discount cannot be applied to refurbished models.

Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.


Click the link in that quote for more details on the refurbishment process.
  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are available online from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold in local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.

Hey thanks!

I've just bought a refurb and cosmetically it is flawless.

Just a plain white box but new battery/magsafe and leaflets were included.

Good to know!
 
This seems like a great deal with the education discount:

http://store.apple.com/us-hed/produ...-23ghz-quad-core-intel-i7-with-retina-display

I can't see myself needing to upgrade the ram or the hard drive. Any thoughts or downsides to this model? The price seems great!

I bought the same one at the same price. You don't need an education discount to get that price. As has been said, they're like new, just in a plain white box. Mine had an extra 8gb of ram, and some people get bigger SSDs or faster processors. Don't count on any extras though.

If you have a discover card, be sure to buy through the shop discover site to get 5% cash back on it.
 
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