Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

If you were considering a Refurbished iMac...

V

Virage

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 8, 2012
1
0
...after trying for a week and missing all the listings, I finally snagged a refurbished 21.5" i7 1TB/4GB spec iMac last week. Got my machine today and Apple instead sent me a 2TB/8GB setup!

Considering the rumor that Apple's refurbished stock is likely to be comprised of a lot of overstock new machines, it's a pretty good deal even without surprise bonus upgrades. I'm guessing my luck is due to them making room for the refresh, so if anyone else was thinking about it, now may be a good time to make that purchase!
 
Virage said:
...after trying for a week and missing all the listings, I finally snagged a refurbished 21.5" i7 1TB/4GB spec iMac last week. Got my machine today and Apple instead sent me a 2TB/8GB setup!

Considering the rumor that Apple's refurbished stock is likely to be comprised of a lot of overstock new machines, it's a pretty good deal even without surprise bonus upgrades. I'm guessing my luck is due to them making room for the refresh, so if anyone else was thinking about it, now may be a good time to make that purchase!
Click to expand...

Apple is pretty good about adding in extra stuff for Refurbs.
 
My 27" came with double the RAM and VRAM, so I ended up saving close to 20% / $600 over new. And it was cosmetically perfect, so very happy.
 
CWallace said:
My 27" came with double the RAM and VRAM, so I ended up saving close to 20% / $600 over new. And it was cosmetically perfect, so very happy.
Click to expand...

Virage said:
...after trying for a week and missing all the listings, I finally snagged a refurbished 21.5" i7 1TB/4GB spec iMac last week. Got my machine today and Apple instead sent me a 2TB/8GB setup!

Considering the rumor that Apple's refurbished stock is likely to be comprised of a lot of overstock new machines, it's a pretty good deal even without surprise bonus upgrades. I'm guessing my luck is due to them making room for the refresh, so if anyone else was thinking about it, now may be a good time to make that purchase!
Click to expand...



NEAR THE END of a cycle this has happened many times. Also I have done smart test on hdds of refurbs many have under 2 or 3 hours run time.
 
You guys lucked out apparently.

I received my refurbished 27" i5/1TB iMac on friday of last week, by sunday it had already failed. The screen would flicker then go black completely locking me out of the computer requiring a forced restart. I took it to the apple store on Monday and they offered at first to swap it out for a new one, then decided they would order me a new refurb. I told them to just give me my money back which they promptly did. I'll just wait it out till the new ones are released.
 
I've had my refurb iMac 21.5" i7 1TB 4GB RAM for about 8 months now and couldn't be happier. Haven't had any problems, other than the hard drive seeming to run sort of noisy (I've been told that's normal for the 1 TB's).

The refurbs are such a fantastic deal. Unfortunately, I didn't get any freebies. :[
 
I got the exact same 21.5 inch i7 deal. I'd already ordered 16GB of RAM from Crucial. The 8GB that came with the iMac got transferred to my wife's 2011 MacBook Pro, so a nice upgrade there too. BTW, the RAM sticks were REALLY tight coming out. Kinda nerve racking.
 
I assume you bought your Referb over the Internet from
Apples Referb site. I didn't know you could return a bad
Referb bought over the internet to an Apple Retail Store.
And you were issued a full refund. Thats good to know.

Böb said:
I received my refurbished 27" i5/1TB iMac on friday of last week, by sunday it had already failed. The screen would flicker then go black completely locking me out of the computer requiring a forced restart. I took it to the apple store on Monday and they offered at first to swap it out for a new one, then decided they would order me a new refurb. I told them to just give me my money back which they promptly did. I'll just wait it out till the new ones are released.
Click to expand...
 
I guess I'm just in the minority here as while I think most refurbs are just fine, it is a crapshoot. For about $185 more, you can get a brand new one from a place like MacMall or MacZone and have a clear conscience. Plus you get real retail packaging, not a cardboard box...and we all know that adds another $100 to resale value down the road. Just my take.
 
macpro2000 said:
For about $185 more, you can get a brand new one from a place like MacMall or MacZone and have a clear conscience.
Click to expand...

So if you buy a refurb from Apple you DON'T have a clear conscience? This implies that you must have done something wrong if you got a refurb? Is this what you are trying to say, or am I missing something?
 
You're missing something. I'm implying that you have no worries that you are getting anything less than new.
 
macpro2000 said:
You're missing something. I'm implying that you have no worries that you are getting anything less than new.
Click to expand...
There are no worries when buying a refurb, either. Both the new and refurb models come with a 1 year warranty and both are eligible for AppleCare.

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 only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or 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.
 
Couldn't wait any longer so I bought a refurbished 27" I7 iMac. I paid $1869 and it came with 8gb of ram and 2gb video ram. If you price that out it is quite a savings on a new one. Even if the new ones come out, I will keep this for a couple of years then trade it in for a new one. It looks brand new, no scratches, dings or any other marks. This is my third refurb and have never had a problem with any of them.
 
Unlucky I guess

After much deliberation decided to buy a refurb 21 iMac. Arrived next day got it going but noticed a clicking noise that stopped and started every few seconds. After discussions with Apple support decided it might be the fan so decided to return and try another refurb. 2nd machine also faulty, on power up got the grey screen with the folder with a question mark in it and a ticking noise. Apple support advised that the machine couldn't find the OS which they helped get sorted but on next restart same thing happened so returned that machine and bought a new model with a small discount for the trouble caused. So far new machine (1 week) working perfectly.
Apple very good at arrangements, returns etc just a pain time wasted setting up machines, waiting for delivery etc
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back