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How is refurbished Macbook?
- Thread starter Dodgeman
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It's not a MacBook, but I purchased a refurbished 2017 MacBook Pro at the beginning of this month. I am posting this solely for quality of refurbished products statements.
I ordered my MacBook Pro from Apple's US refurbished website and it arrived a day early. The shipping box was brown cardboard with internal padding and contained a white box that Apple uses for refurbished products - the front of the box includes the device name rather than a picture of the device.
Upon unboxing the MBP I was expecting minor nicks/scratches/scuff but there were none. The device booted up and runs as a 2017 MacBook Pro would and the battery had 3 cycles on it.
I ordered this product because of the $300.00 USD savings. The device came with the same warranty as that associated with a new device and I had the option of buying Apple Care while ordering.
I have used this MBP for over three weeks and I still find it difficult to believe it is actually a refurbished product - the only difference between this one and a release day product seems to be the outside of the box (device name instead of device picture).
I'm impressed and, because of my experience and those of others on these forums, would happily order more refurbished products from Apple.
I ordered my MacBook Pro from Apple's US refurbished website and it arrived a day early. The shipping box was brown cardboard with internal padding and contained a white box that Apple uses for refurbished products - the front of the box includes the device name rather than a picture of the device.
Upon unboxing the MBP I was expecting minor nicks/scratches/scuff but there were none. The device booted up and runs as a 2017 MacBook Pro would and the battery had 3 cycles on it.
I ordered this product because of the $300.00 USD savings. The device came with the same warranty as that associated with a new device and I had the option of buying Apple Care while ordering.
I have used this MBP for over three weeks and I still find it difficult to believe it is actually a refurbished product - the only difference between this one and a release day product seems to be the outside of the box (device name instead of device picture).
I'm impressed and, because of my experience and those of others on these forums, would happily order more refurbished products from Apple.
^Same. Ordering refurbs directly from Apple gives you the security of their warranty (as if it were a new device). You also get their no questions return policy, 2 weeks I believe.
I had a gold 2015 Retina MacBook refurb, it was perfect. Went on to a used 2014 Pro because I needed something more powerful.
I had a gold 2015 Retina MacBook refurb, it was perfect. Went on to a used 2014 Pro because I needed something more powerful.
I've bought refurbished models from Apple (notably an 11" MBA in 2013 which I later sold to a colleague who wished to give it to his wife) and found them first rate.
Did you get sent a power adapter, the booklet and everything that normally comes in the box with a new model?
Yes, the MBP came with everything that ship with the new models - cord, power adapter, booklet, stickers, etc. I forgot to mention that the serial numbers on refurbished products are changed to reflect the fact that they are refurbished.
Yeah I may give it a try. It is always good to check the battery cycles though.
[doublepost=1548886138][/doublepost]I didn't realize how good of a quality a refurb could be. I do wonder if it affects the resale value in the long run.
[doublepost=1548886138][/doublepost]I didn't realize how good of a quality a refurb could be. I do wonder if it affects the resale value in the long run.
Yes, always good to check the battery cycles.
Well, judging from the refurbished MBP I received, aside from the serial number, there is no way to tell it is a refurb.
Yeah I am wondering if these are damaged units or just units that are a customer could have purchased and returned.
3 batter cycles and it fails... means they didn't use it much before it failed....
I would assume that the devices that suffered a failure with the battery or keyboard have had the entire upper case (keyboard, trackpad, battery) replaced. Refurbs also come from people who bought the device and returned it within 14 days because they didn't like it - I'm told that the US forbids selling returns as new devices. The 3 battery cycles on mine could have been part of Apple testing during the refurbishment process.
Here is what Apple has to say about their refurbished laptops:
Apple Certified Refurbished Products
(1) What are Apple Certified Refurbished Products?
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, every unit is evaluated to ensure it meets Apple's quality standards.
Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:
- undergoes full functionality testing and any defective modules identified in testing are replaced.
- Apple Watch and Apple Pencil devices that require replacement parts are not included in the Apple Certified Refurbished Program.
- is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
- is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes).
- includes either the Operating System originally shipped with the unit or, in some cases, a more recent version.
- is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.
Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures.
I would recommend comparing specs on each device to see which one best fits into the workload that it will be expected to handle. Also, compare the screens, battery life and weight to see how it will fit into your idea of "portability". That's what I did and I ended up with what I feel is my dream laptop. Also, don't be afraid to consider a model from recent years. I bought a 2017 refurb in 2019 and I don't see any problem with purchasing a model that is 1.5 years old, since it was fully refurbished. I think the only issue I will see is that Apple will drop support for my machine a year early compared to if I had purchased a 2018 laptop. But, I'll worry about that is, say.. 5+ years.
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Its terrible the screen looks a bit dimmer on the Air vs. the MacBook. I truly like the Air 2018 but the less memory and screen really hurts it in my book a bit.
[doublepost=1548895206][/doublepost]
What laptop do you have?
For me it will be my main computer, mainly for web browsing (pay bills) maybe typing up a few documents and that is really about it.
Nothing more than that and that is why I want to keep the cost low. Memory isn't a huge factor as I don't want to issues down the road and the computer will never leave the house often if at all. So the size is not the biggest factor either.
I like both computers as they have their pro and cons and that is why I am torn on which one to purchase/.
[doublepost=1548895206][/doublepost]
What laptop do you have?
For me it will be my main computer, mainly for web browsing (pay bills) maybe typing up a few documents and that is really about it.
Nothing more than that and that is why I want to keep the cost low. Memory isn't a huge factor as I don't want to issues down the road and the computer will never leave the house often if at all. So the size is not the biggest factor either.
I like both computers as they have their pro and cons and that is why I am torn on which one to purchase/.
Well, that should be an important factor for you.
For me, the refurbished 2017 MacBook Pro was $3.00 USD less after tax than the new 2018 MacBook Air was before tax. I was astounded that I could get a more powerful machine for less - even though it is a year older. So, you might take a look at the MBP line from 2017 and see what the prices work out to for you.
[doublepost=1548895780][/doublepost]
I was originally looking at the 2018 MacBook Air. But, that changed when I saw the refurb prices of the 2017 MBP.
I bought the refurbished 2017 MacBook Pro - 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, two TB3 ports, no Touch Bar. The RAM and storage were perfect for me and I really didn't think the Touch Bar or TouchID would benefit me, so it worked out great.
I use mine as my main desktop machine: web surfing, email, spreadsheets, documents and light image editing. Being that this is a MacBook Pro I'm sure it could do a lot more, but I'm happy with it as is.
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Yeah that sounds like a great deal. You are correct the screen is a bit of a big deal for me. Who knows though it may not be a factor in the long run... I am not sure. I can always turn up the brightness I guess. I just want a quality laptop that lasts.
It would suck to have issues with the refurb when I could've just spend 100 more and got a great machine that is the latest and brand new. So right now it is a tough decision.
And the screen should be a big deal, after all you're going to be staring at this thing the whole time you're using it so it really needs to be as easy on the eyes as possible. The 2018 MBA has a lower nit value and the color gamut is not as wide as that of a MBP. Some people don't mind the dimmer screen, so it really is subjective.
If you are able to go into a store and compare the devices that interest you I would highly recommend you do so. I spent a few weeks going into my local Best Buy comparing some laptops before I decided on one. I also recommend hopping on YouTube and watching some videos reviewing the laptops, that will help educate you as far as how these machines perform. The more research you do now.. the happier you will be later.
The refurbs have the same warranty as the new devices and you have the option of buying Apple Care if you want, so this should tell you that you shouldn't expect manufacturing issues.
[doublepost=1548897273][/doublepost]@Dodgeman I was just thinking about what you said. If an extra $100 will buy you more peace of mind, then spending that extra money may be worth it for you. Just a thought.
Yeah great points. It seems as if the that extra money for piece of mind might be worth it. I thought the Air and MB has the same nit value... not sure on the color gamut.
You are right some people do not mind the dimmer screen but that is typically when you haven't seen a pro or mb screen lol
Yep, can't really put a price on peace of mind. Some people don't do much research, but I did almost three months of research and watched hundreds of videos before buying my MBP - that was the cost of peace of mind for me and it was well worth it.
True, the dimmer screen will be a bigger deal to some than to others - will be an even bigger deal if you ever take your machine outdoors or use it in a brightly lit coffee shop.
Spend the extra money if you need to - this machine may be with you for 5 or more years - may as well be happy with it.
That is true. I hope I use it a lot and can justify it. The Air is bad excerpt for the screen. Trust me I have been researching this for about 6 months or more! Back then between the Pro and MB then the Air 2018 came into play! I never even entertained the older Air due to non Retina display as that was the biggest downfall! So yeah anyhow I have this 2 weeks to make my decision.
I had wanted an Apple laptop for years, but I could never justify the cost of a MBP and the pre-2018 Air had a horrible screen. It wasn't until Apple put Retina screens in the 2018 Air that I was finally willing to buy one. Then I learned about the lower prices of the refurbs and that changed things.
This is my first ever Apple laptop and now I can't ever be happy with a non-Retina screen, lol.
This is my first ever Apple laptop and now I can't ever be happy with a non-Retina screen, lol.
I feel the same way.
Did you give Chromebooks a look? I might need to revisit that. Heck all I do is i net browsing
My first cell phone was the htc G1 - the first Android phone - and I stuck with Android phones until 2012 when I was given an iPhone 4S. I fell in love with the iPhone and moved over to iOS soon thereafter. I had tried Chromebooks but I never could get seamless integration between ChromeOS and iOS, so Chromebooks never lasted long with me. Just out of sheer curiosity I tried a Mac mini in 2014, fell in love with it and moved all desktop work to OS X. I finally had seamless integration between desktop and mobile use and have been an Apple fan ever since.
A Chromebook may serve your needs so that may be worth looking into. Chromebook are portable and fast, but you'll end up living in two ecosystems if you already own iOS devices; Google and Apple. Some folks seem to manage that quite well, but I never liked it.
Yeah I do not like the integration from phone to computer anyhow. Plus everyone uses g mail now a days anyway.
The chromebook might be an option for me to look into as I have not given that much thought yet either. Although this Mac is a great machine and very easy to use.
So not too thrilled with the refurbished unit as of yet.
It looks and seems like a great machine. However the screen seems just about a dim as the Air I picked up even though that is not the biggest issue, but they sent me a machine that had a battery cycle count of 16!
Wonder what could have been wrong with the device that it needed to be replaced especially after 16 charges.
I wonder if I should try my hand at another one maybe w/o so many cycle counts?
It looks and seems like a great machine. However the screen seems just about a dim as the Air I picked up even though that is not the biggest issue, but they sent me a machine that had a battery cycle count of 16!
Wonder what could have been wrong with the device that it needed to be replaced especially after 16 charges.
I wonder if I should try my hand at another one maybe w/o so many cycle counts?
So not too thrilled with the refurbished unit as of yet.
It looks and seems like a great machine. However the screen seems just about a dim as the Air I picked up even though that is not the biggest issue, but they sent me a machine that had a battery cycle count of 16!
Wonder what could have been wrong with the device that it needed to be replaced especially after 16 charges.
I wonder if I should try my hand at another one maybe w/o so many cycle counts?
Sounds like someone tried it out for two weeks and then returned it because it didn't fit their needs.
It IS a refurbished product, not new.
My 2016 MacBook that I've had for a little over two years is at a mere 219 battery cycle count.