MacBook Pro Refurbished or New

[xashree]

Hi,
i know there are similar posts like this but none of them really helped

I received a laptop from my college through their laptop program but they just gave me the laptop and charger without the box or anything

My school has a rule where if you don't graduate, you have to give back your laptop and i have a feeling my laptop, which is supposed to be new, is actually a refurbished one or used one that was confiscated by a drop out.

I went on check your service for apple and when i typed my serial number it said MacBook Pro 13-inch, mid 2012
does that mean it was purchased in mid 2012 ? & is there a way i can check the purchase date ?

sorry and thank you

 

[simsaladimbamba]

The serial number only gives you a MANUFACTURING date, not a purchase date.

For that you have to contact Apple directly.

PS: Just because it has no box and only is a charger and the Mac itself, does not mean, it is refurbished, as even those come in boxes.
If it is confiscated, then the previous owner probably did not have the original box anymore.

And what does it matter, if it is refurbished or "new"? It seems to be used anyway.

 

[KevinC867]

That "Mid 2012" info doesn't tell you the purchase date or the manufacture date. It just tells you that you have the model which was introduced in mid 2012.

An Apple refurbished unit is pretty much just as good as new. However, if it is a unit that was reclaimed from another student and you are curious how much use it got, I would just look closely for scratches and check the battery cycle count with the System Information utility. My MBP sits on my desk most of the time, so its battery only gets cycled a couple of times a month. But I would guess that the typical student would cycle their battery a couple of times per week.