Im going to the states in about a month and I'm thinking of getting a refurbished iMac. The top 3.4 i7 one. The price difference is a real killer here, since a new one in a store here in Norway would cost about 2800$. The refirb one is 1869$. And I don't think they sell refurbished here. I would have to order this to my hotel room. But how often do you experience that there is something wrong with the refurbished ones? Taking it back would be a pain. The only real bummer is they there are no refurbished with an ssd. Has it ever been any with ssd? Or can I get lucky and maybe get one even though the page sais 1tb? Would be sweet. And, how long does shipping take when buying from the apple store? I may have to pay customs when I get to the border, that would add about 30% to the price.
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Experiences with refurbished iMacs
- Thread starter PaulKemp
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It happens, but very infrequently. Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the
Apple Refurb Store. The inventory of models available can change from minute to minute. Use refurb.me to be notified when a model you want is available. If you have a problem with a refurb unit, you can ship it back to Apple.
Ok, so it isn't unlikely that a ssd version will be available. Nice. The shipping back part could be difficult, but I'm guessing I'll be under apple warranty in Norway as well. Ok, what about the shipping times? How long does it normally take? About a week or less?
Thanks on the reform.me tip btw, great stuff! Is what I see there all the models? I don't see a ssd + 1tb disk option for example
Thanks on the reform.me tip btw, great stuff! Is what I see there all the models? I don't see a ssd + 1tb disk option for example
There was one available 4 days ago. Did you take the time to check out the refurb.me site, as suggested? When you order a refurb model, it ships very quickly... same or next day, usually. How long it takes to arrive depends on your location, shippers, volcanos, available watering holes for yaks or camels, etc.
Yes, I saw it, thanks. I updated the third post to reflect that.
To bobright, thanks, but as I said in the first post. I'm in the states for one week, and that week is before a new one arrives. So no luck there. A top specced one is good for a couple of years anyway.
It only shows models and configurations that are available as refurbs, not all available configurations for new Macs. If you don't see the configuration you're interested in, you have to wait until one of that configuration is offered as a refurb.
Ahh ok, but there are some configurations that are not available, not even marked with a red dot. What about those? A SSB + 1 TB, or 2 TB for example. Or with 2GB on the Video Card. Will they show on the page or just be hidden inside the 'maxed out' option.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your feedback! Refurb.me was a great tip!
Not every configuration becomes available as a refurb, or they may not show up for several months. If you have specific needs for a particular model, either buy new or be prepared to wait for a while until it becomes available as a refurb, if ever.
You can hope you hit the lotto too. You likely won't.
The overwhelming majority of refurbs are pristine units you cannot tell apart from new.
I type this reply from a 2010 MBP. Refurb. 2010 27" iMac as my desk workstation. Refurb.
Previous gen Mini as HTPC/Server running 24/7 for the past 1.5 years. Refurb.
My strategy is take the savings on the refurb, buy more RAM and AppleCare aftermarket.
Only when Apple introduces a new model is the price decent IMHO. Market prices drop mid-cycle for components and Apple does not drop prices...that is where refurb kicks in.
- b
I've ordered several refurbished products from Apple including my first iMac a few years ago. All products looked new and have never had a problem with them.
NOT A REFURB next iteration machine! It will take a few months of turnarounds to get some newer gen refubs in.