Made up my mind, have a couple of questions.

[bc008]

Well, i was saving to get a new ipod when they came out, but have decided to save for a great while longer and get a refurbished blackbook.

1. is it that big of a savings buying refurbished? would i save more buying off *gasp* ebay?

2. how is the condition of refurbished items? is something usually wrong with them, or did apple fix that?

 

[A Pittarelli]

just wait for the new ipod and get a new, you owe it to yourself and will appreciate it later, there isnt a better time than next week to get a shiney new ipod

 

[bc008]

hmmmm....
my mind is changing so many times i think im going to head up to bed and sleep on it

 

[flopticalcube]

Well, i was saving to get a new ipod when they came out, but have decided to save for a great while longer and get a refurbished blackbook.

1. is it that big of a savings buying refurbished? would i save more buying off *gasp* ebay?

2. how is the condition of refurbished items? is something usually wrong with them, or did apple fix that?

I would never buy a Mac off of eBay. The prices are nearly always too high and it doesn't come with a 1 year warranty like refurbs do. Refurbs can be quite a savings, depending on the item and if it fits your needs.

Refurbs are usually customer returns. If something was wrong, like a cosmetic item or hardware issue, it would have been addressed. In some ways it is better than new because it has been "test driven" already. Most people say the item looks like new.

 

[johantheolive]

ebay is not the way to go IMO, the prices run high. Great for selling, not so much for buying...

I think the value of refurbs varies depending on what model you're looking at. Their has been an MBP on and off with an X1600 gfx card for $1500, which I think is a decent deal. On the other hand, the refurb macbooks usually (at least to me) not such a great deal, depending on what revision is being sold.

I just pulled the refurb page up for reference, and they actually had a few macbooks. The ones that were decent deals were older revisions with only 512mb ram. But if you look at the model that is being sold new, with an edu discount the refurb is $50 less, not worth it.

I've never bought an apple cert refurb, so I can't say about that but I wouldn't be too concerned over quality as it is apple and I'm sure they would handle the problem if any arised. If you got it and it was beat up, I can't imagine they wouldn't do something for you. good luck!

 

[macpluslaptop]

Refurb is the way to go

I just got my refurb'ed MBP (2.4gz) and it's superb. Looks just like new - probably because it was just 3 weeks old when I got it (you can determine the manufacture date of any Apple). Who knows why it was returned - maybe buyer's remorse, with someone trading down to the 2.2, maybe someone decided to get the imac instead....anyway, I have a couple of friends who swear by Apple refurbs and that's all I buy anymore. Including ipods. You get the same warranty, and the assurance that the machine has been vetted thoroughly by the Apple techs.

So save $200 or $300 bucks...

 

[scienide09]

1. is it that big of a savings buying refurbished? would i save more buying off *gasp* ebay?

I would hesitate about buying off of eBay. You just never know what you're going to get. Prices from the refurb store will most likely be a little higher, but it's worth that premium for the warranty, the piece of mind, and the ability to return the item, if needed.

2. how is the condition of refurbished items? is something usually wrong with them, or did apple fix that?

Refurb items are supposed to be in top condition. You may find a small scuff, especially on the plastic of a MB, but it'll be cosmetic only. The same one year warranty for new notebooks applies to the refurb items, so if you do have an issue, just phone Apple.

Many have suggested that since refurbs have gone back and been checked by Apple employees, the quality assurance is more comprehensive than for new items fresh off an assembly line overseas.

I bought a refurb MBP in late April, and it arrived in pristine condition. Were it not for modified serial number and the brown box, one would be hard-pressed to say whether it was new or refurbed.

 

[clevin]

same old story, I got two refurb iPOD mini or nano, one of them died in a week. so I wouldn't buy refurb iPOD any more.