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Factory Refurbished
- Thread starter Ryxmd
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All Apple Factory Refurbished are pretty much brand new. New screen, new casing and new battery. The chipset/storage and refurbished. These machines are technically remanufactured and not refurbished. I have had great experience with remanufactured units. Whether it is an iPhone, iPod or iPad. They going through tougher individual testing than those that are new off the assembly line.
I've purchased factory refurbished from apple and sellers before. I've also sold them before, typically no issues whatsoever. For instance if one broke that a customer had, he receives a factory refurbished one from apple, decides it's a good chance to sell one at high dollar and get himself an upgraded one. I've done that before.
If you're really just trying to be frugal, then do it with care. Apple's refurbishment process is really stringent and backed by their own warranty – others can use "refurbished" to mean a number of things.
Personally, I have not had any experience with Blinq. I know they get a lot of good reviews, but I would still use caution when ordering an iPad that they say is refurbished. I've never heard of any other places actually selling Apple refurbs, except Apple. As others have said, Apples refurbishing standards are very high, and come with warranties as if they are new.
I just purchased an iPad mini 4 that was refurbished from Apple and I am extremely happy with it.
If it were me, I'd compare the model you want on Blinq with what Apple has on their refurb site to see the price difference. And...look for reviews from customers that actually bought am iPad to see if they had any issues.
Good luck whichever way you go!
I've had mixed results with Best Buy. Some good, some bad. They have solid return policies though so you can return it if it doesn't meet your needs.
^^^^^^^^ Definitely
I like Best Buy, but I've heard that their refurbs are in-house refurbs. Not sure how true that is, but I've heard that from several sources.
With Apple, they basically treat their refurb as if it were new (new charger, cable, warranty). Also, Apple replaces the battery, screen and case when they refurbish them. It's basically new.
I Recently bought a iPad Pro 9.7 new but it's too similar to the Air 2 which I can get for a lower price. But also the screen size is also all too familiar. I have a iPad 1, 2, and 3. If the 12.9 did not exist I would've been happy with the 9.7 pro. The 12.9 is an iPad but also different. But I refuse to pay the overpriced amount for a new one. I have never purchased any refurbished Apple product but I just could not pass up the price on blinq. They have 30 days free returns. I figured I'd give it a try. If i'm not happy with it, I'll just return it.
Apple themselves say this about iPad refurbs: "All refurbished iPad models also include a brand new battery and outer shell."
That's it. Battery and outer shell are the only guaranteed new parts. Other parts are very likely recycled from other units that have been brought back for trade or failure. Apple likes their margins, after all.
Apple only says that they test refurbs using the same standards as at the factory. So no, there's no special testing. They get the same testing that the original units passed.
Mind you, I've had good luck with refurbs too, but I never bought them because they're somehow better than new, like some (not you) claim. The whole reason they're cheaper is because they do have an unknown history as used, possibly abused, devices.
Beside the battery, the main advantage of an Apple refurb vs others, is that it comes with a warranty.
They also include a brand new screen. Screen is part of the out shell assembly. Additionally, if you contact Apple, they will verify that all remanufactured devices go through individual testing instead of a random device coming off the assembly line. This has been known for years and years now.
Just purchased a Apple Refurb iPad 12.9" 128GB with cellular. £759 a saving of £180 from new.
You would never know it wasn't brand new other than the box. With a 1yr warranty direct from Apple there's not really much to loose and plenty to save.
In years gone by I have had a refurb MacBook Pro delivered with a better spec that I purchased. That one was a result.
You would never know it wasn't brand new other than the box. With a 1yr warranty direct from Apple there's not really much to loose and plenty to save.
In years gone by I have had a refurb MacBook Pro delivered with a better spec that I purchased. That one was a result.
Do you mean the front digitizer glass? Do you have an Apple reference saying so? All I've ever seen are non-Apple posters claiming this.
Actually, even back in 2012, it was known that each iPhone gets burned in for 6-8 hours at Foxconn.
You might be thinking of the fact that for a long time only random circuit boards were X-Rayed for solder quality. This is something American factories have done for almost decades. It's why it was silly to claim that products made in China have some kind of superior build quality, when they're often assembled on old style human powered lines.
Screen, so the entire component because it is now one. The glass, screen, home button. Its one assembly and its all new. I don't have documentation but Apple has confirmed it in the past and Genius Bar employees do as well. Even when you go in for a screen replacement, its new.
You think they are taking a screen off a returned device and putting it on a remanufactured device? Of course not. Its new as each screen is specifically calibrated for the device it is attached to.
Define "screen", please. Do you mean front glass or the LCD display?
If you mean the latter, then no sir, there's no chance on earth that Apple is automatically replacing every LCD display.
That's because it would makes no sense, from either a technical or financial standpoint, to replace what is far and away the most expensive part in an iPad, unless it's not working. And even then...
If it's not working, then they would take a working display from another returned unit. Apple is not going to waste any profit putting a new display in a refurb.
As for calibration, it's far more likely that displays are calibrated on their own, but if Apple can re-calibrate a new display then they can re-calibrate a used one as well. But I doubt seriously they do it on a refurb anyway. Heck, judging from photographer comments, they don't do a great calibration even at the factory.
The glass/digitizer is separate from the LCD display on an iPad, and is usually replaced separately if it cracks.
If Apple has EVER said they replace the LCD on a refurb, you should be able to find a link. But you won't, because they don't. It would make zero sense to do so.
I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you've been misled by the usual internet refurb myths.