How were your refurbished Retina MacBook Pros?

[Mr. RPG]

I'll be buying my first Mac.. likely tomorrow.

This one.

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

15" rMBP base

but I'm a bit concerned about it being refurbished and all. How were your refurbished Macbook Pros? With tax, this is going to cost me $1720-ish which is a lot..

Were there any scratches, dings, dents, or dirt on it? Did it have any dead or stuck pixels? Ghosting? Etc.

 

[GGJstudios]

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.

 

[NewbieCanada]

I have bought two refurb thunderbolt displays. They arrived in perfect condition. As they are under the same warranty as new products, any dings, defects and scratches would be covered - so they don't come with them.

They are more thoroughly tested than new equipment, but of course a bad one can slip through here too.

Buy with confidence.

 

[collinmac]

my refurb rmbp arrived in perfect condition as well as my panel was a samsung!

 

[Mr. RPG]

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.

These two really make me have doubts. I have terrible luck.

What OS X version do I get..? ML or just Lion..? Can I upgrade to ML for free..?

I have bought two refurb thunderbolt displays. They arrived in perfect condition. As they are under the same warranty as new products, any dings, defects and scratches would be covered - so they don't come with them.

They are more thoroughly tested than new equipment, but of course a bad one can slip through here too.

Buy with confidence.

I sure do hope so.

 

[overanalyzer]

As the other posts so far have said, buying refurb products from Apple has been a great experience for me. I haven't bought a refurbed laptop, but I have experience with a refurbished thunderbolt display, Mac Mini, AppleTV, iPhones and iPods, and all have been perfect functionally and cosmetically. The only reasons I can think of to buy a new laptop/desktop vs. a refurb is if you want a built-to-order combination that's difficult to come by, or need to order a new model shortly after release, and refurbs aren't available yet. Otherwise I'd personally always recommend getting a refurb if it's available.

 

[Mr. RPG]

As the other posts so far have said, buying refurb products from Apple has been a great experience for me. I haven't bought a refurbed laptop, but I have experience with a refurbished thunderbolt display, Mac Mini, AppleTV, iPhones and iPods, and all have been perfect functionally and cosmetically. The only reasons I can think of to buy a new laptop/desktop vs. a refurb is if you want a built-to-order combination that's difficult to come by, or need to order a new model shortly after release, and refurbs aren't available yet. Otherwise I'd personally always recommend getting a refurb if it's available.

Well then, why didn't you get a refurb for your 15" rMBP?

ARE YOU HOLDING OUT INFORMATION FROM ME?

 

[NewbieCanada]

Well then, why didn't you get a refurb for your 15" rMBP?

ARE YOU HOLDING OUT INFORMATION FROM ME?

Speaking for myself, I have this tendency to buy my computers on the day they're announced

 

[utekineir]

my rmbp was ed discount before refurbs were available.

had it been on the refurb site i'd have bought it from there, no question.

have bought a number of other apple refurbs all fantastic.

 

[Mr. RPG]

my rmbp was ed discount before refurbs were available.

had it been on the refurb site i'd have bought it from there, no question.

have bought a number of other apple refurbs all fantastic.

Did it have any battery cycles on them when you got them?

 

[Stetrain]

Did it have any battery cycles on them when you got them?

Even brand new Macs often have a few battery cycles counted.

 

[Mr. RPG]

Even brand new Macs often have a few battery cycles counted.

I've never seen this before.

 

[GGJstudios]

I've never seen this before.

It's true. Search the forum and you'll find many reports of brand new Macs with a few cycles on the battery. It's nothing to be concerned about.

 

[Mr. RPG]

It's true. Search the forum and you'll find many reports of brand new Macs with a few cycles on the battery. It's nothing to be concerned about.

How many cycles does a battery last in a rMBP?

 

[GGJstudios]

How many cycles does a battery last in a rMBP?

Apple batteries are designed to retain up to 80% of their charge capacity for up to 1000 cycles. That doesn't mean they only last that many cycles, but that they'll still have 80% of their capacity by then.

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​

 

[jolli]

I'll be buying my first Mac.. likely tomorrow.

This one.

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

15" rMBP base

but I'm a bit concerned about it being refurbished and all. How were your refurbished Macbook Pros? With tax, this is going to cost me $1720-ish which is a lot..

Were there any scratches, dings, dents, or dirt on it? Did it have any dead or stuck pixels? Ghosting? Etc.

I just received that exact refurbished rMBP on Thursday. There was nothing to distinguish it as being refurbished besides the box. No scratches, dings, dust, etc. As far as I have been able to tell there are no dead pixels or ghosting.

I checked in the terminal and this particular one has a Samsung screen. Also, it came with the Samsung SSD.

I was set on getting a Windows ultrabook and actually ordered a Lenovo X1 Carbon, but the screen on it completely turned me off. The extra $500 to move up to the refurbished rMBP was worth it to me.

The only buyer's remorse I'm having involves the potential Haswell refresh of this model. If it debuts at a lower price than the existing models and has significant improvements, I'll probably be kicking myself.

Edit: Also, only had one charge cycle on the battery when it arrived.

 

[Mr. RPG]

I just received that exact refurbished rMBP on Thursday. There was nothing to distinguish it as being refurbished besides the box. No scratches, dings, dust, etc. As far as I have been able to tell there are no dead pixels or ghosting.

I checked in the terminal and this particular one has a Samsung screen. Also, it came with the Samsung SSD.

I was set on getting a Windows ultrabook and actually ordered a Lenovo X1 Carbon, but the screen on it completely turned me off. The extra $500 to move up to the refurbished rMBP was worth it to me.

The only buyer's remorse I'm having involves the potential Haswell refresh of this model. If it debuts at a lower price than the existing models and has significant improvements, I'll probably be kicking myself.

Edit: Also, only had one charge cycle on the battery when it arrived.

That sounds good. so it looked brand new then?

What screen was the one to have? LG or Samsung? I think LG was the one that was prone to problems.. Even then did ALL LG screens break?

Regarding the battery, does it still charge to 100%?

 

[GGJstudios]

Regarding the battery, does it still charge to 100%?

Having cycles on a battery doesn't prevent it from charging to 100%. I really encourage you to read the Battery FAQ I posted. It will give you facts so you won't have unfounded worries about Mac notebook batteries.

 

[swerve147]

The refurbished rMBP has the exact same 1 year warranty and 14 day return policy as the new model. I don't understand the hesitation on this.

 

[tdmd]

my refurb ipod has been nothing but trouble. apple claims there is liquid damage and refuses to replace it. there has been no liquid damage. i call bs but cant argue it. anyhow no more refurbs for me.

 

[Mr. RPG]

The refurbished rMBP has the exact same 1 year warranty and 14 day return policy as the new model. I don't understand the hesitation on this.

I'm worried about the cosmetic problems and stuff. I feel a bit better now. I'll update what I think of it later in the week when I get it.

Having cycles on a battery doesn't prevent it from charging to 100%. I really encourage you to read the Battery FAQ I posted. It will give you facts so you won't have unfounded worries about Mac notebook batteries.

The built-in battery of your MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air is designed to deliver up to 1000 full charge and discharge cycles before it reaches 80 percent of its original capacity.

This is talking about capacity right? Not the amount of charge it can hold. So even at 80% of the capacity in the battery, it can still hold a 100% charge.

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm worried about the cosmetic problems and stuff.

There is nothing to worry about. It's very likely you won't be able to spot any difference between a refurb and a new Mac. In many cases, a refurb was never used. At any rate, the vast majority of refurbs look brand new.

This is talking about capacity right? Not the amount of charge it can hold. So even at 80% of the capacity in the battery, it can still hold a 100% charge.

Correct. That 100% charge may last for a shorter period of time as battery health (capacity) declines, but it will still fully charge. A few dozen cycles on a battery isn't going to make a noticeable impact on capacity.

 

[Mr. RPG]

There is nothing to worry about. It's very likely you won't be able to spot any difference between a refurb and a new Mac. In many cases, a refurb was never used. At any rate, the vast majority of refurbs look brand new.
Correct. That 100% charge may last for a shorter period of time as battery health (capacity) declines, but it will still fully charge. A few dozen cycles on a battery isn't going to make a noticeable impact on capacity.

I'm sorry for all of the questions. Never had a Mac or a laptop for that matter.

When the battery is fully charged and the MagSafe connector is still plugged in, does the MacBook run off the MagSafe or on the battery?

 

[GGJstudios]

I'm sorry for all of the questions. Never had a Mac or a laptop for that matter.

When the battery is fully charged and the MagSafe connector is still plugged in, does the MacBook run off the MagSafe or on the battery?

Please read the Battery FAQ. All your questions are answered there. That's why I posted it.

 

[Maaz]

i bought my retina 13 and its perfect